Quest for the Lost Souls
by Green Dragon SWBF
Summary: Pterano has returned to the Great Valley, claiming to be reformed, but he is actually seeking a new power. When everyone believes that he has turned over a new treestar, Ali must warn Littlefoot and the others of his power play.
1. End of the Exile

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Land Before Time series or any of its characters.**

**                                                Quest of the Lost Souls** megacharizard

Millions of years ago, long before the animals of today existed, the world was filled with a large variety of animals which are now extinct. Most of these animals were known as dinosaurs. Most ate plants, others ate meat and others ate both. The life of a dinosaur was simple. Eat, sleep and, in short, stay alive long enough to reproduce. Although their lives were not as complex as the lives we lead today, they found danger to be staring them in the face more often than not. However, most were content to live this way (they didn't really have a choice). But some wanted more than there fair share of what life had to offer, some who believed that they deserved more than their fellow dinosaurs. One of these was a Flyer called Pterano. 

            Pterano had been banished from the home which his sister and her children lived in. Their home was known as the Great Valley. He had been banished for throwing the lives of five children, one of which was his own nephew, into danger while desperately trying to claim a stone which he believed to possess tremendous power. He was wrong. After he was banished, he searched far and wide until he found a wandering herd, which had not had the misfortune of meeting him before and accepted him as a member. For five years, he travelled with them, being led by the Hollow-horn in charge. He did not wish to follow. He believed that he was destined to rise up and bring Flyers back to their rightful place in the world. He thought Flyers had ruled the world a long time ago until Land-walkers appeared. All the time he was with the herd, he planned over and over on how to get power and, more importantly, revenge on those who had been blind to his destiny…

            During the herd's travels, Pterano had found two followers to replace Rinkus and Sierra. One was jet black with a crest on his head. Pterano never admitted it, but he resented the fact that this feature made Pterano appear shorter. He was known as Ark. The other was a dull crimson colour with no crest. He was called Rax. Pterano had never told them of why he had left the Great Valley until the last night of his exile. 

            The weather was cold that night. Most of the herd had settled down to sleep. Pterano was finishing his story of what had happened.

            "-and so, they forced me to leave, humiliating me in front of everyone. But they will pay when I find the true Stone of Cold Fire." he vowed.

            "Don't waste your time. The stone is a myth. It's not real." Rax said to him. Pterano had often thought of that but never liked to think that all his struggles may be in vain.

            "It must be." he replied. "I was born to lead. There must be power out there somewhere which I am destined to find." Ark laughed dryly.

            "There may be no such thing as a Stone of Cold Fire." he said. "But I have heard of a much greater power anyway." Pterano was intrigued by this possibility.

            "What sort of power?" he asked.

            "Well I have no idea if it's real or not, my father told me that when Land-walkers first appeared on the earth, they took away the souls of the Flyers who use to rule."

            "What happened?" asked Pterano, getting more and more excited by the second.

            "Without their souls the Flyers, were no longer able to fly as high they could. Now that the Flyers were closer to earth, the Land-walkers had power over them."

            "What about their souls? What happened to those?" Pterano enquired.

            "My father told me that the Land-walkers imprisoned them in the walls of a large underground cavern. If a Flyer should enter, the lost souls will be released from the rock and give the Flyer incredible power as a way of giving thanks. That Flyer will then be able to fly higher than ever before and rule the land."

            "Is the cave real?" Pterano asked, barely whispering by now.

            "Oh yes." Ark replied. "I know that it exists. And as a true test for the chosen one who enters the cave, only two entrances exist and each is near impossible to get through."

            "What are these entrances?" Pterano asked.

            "I don't know." he replied.

            "I do." said Rax "One way is through a river. In this river is a tunnel which leads into the cave."

            "Wouldn't the cave fill up with water?" asked Pterano. Rax shook his head.

            "The tunnel goes up hill at one bit so the water can't get through. Of course if you went that way, your wings would be too wet to fly out again."

            "What's the other way?"

            "The other way is to take a tunnel through a Smoking Mountain which is nearby."

            "What about the fire-water?"

            "The tunnel has a sharp turn. Once you get to there, the fire-water would not be a problem."

            "I see." Pterano had one last question. "Where is the cave?" Ark and Rax looked at each other.

            "The cave is directly underneath the heart of the Great Valley." Ark said.

            "The Great Valley?" echoed Pterano. The others both nodded. "Very well. I will return to the Great Valley now that my sentence is over and I will seek out this power. Will you come with me?" he asked them.

            "Of course." Ark replied.

            "I'm in." said Rax.

            "Then what are we waiting for?" asked Pterano. "Let's go!" The three Flyers took to the air flew off into the black sky. _"Those elders of the __Great__Valley__ shall be the first to pay when I claim this power. They will pay!"_ Pterano thought to himself as they flew, their bodies silhouetted against the Great Night Circle…

TO BE CONTINUED…


	2. Return to the Valley

                                                            **Return to the Valley** by megacharizard

In the Great Valley, Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky and Spike were playing happily. Petrie was not interested in playing. He knew that yesterday had been the last day of his uncle's exile. He wondered why Pterano had not returned. He remembered how Pterano had said he would return one day and prove himself to the herd. _"Where are you Uncle?"_ he thought to himself. The others noticed him sitting by himself.

            "Hey Petrie, is something wrong?" Littlefoot asked him. Petrie shook his head and tried to smile.

            "No. Me fine. Really." he assured them. Cera snorted.

            "Hah! You don't look fine to me!" she said. Spike shook his head to agree.

            "She is right. She is." said Ducky. Petrie gave up.

            "Fine. Yesterday was my Uncle Pterano's last day of banishment. But he no came back." he explained.

            "Well if it were only yesterday, maybe he's still making his way back. Just give him a little time." said Littlefoot.

            "Or perhaps he just hasn't thought of anyway he can try and take over the valley yet. I'm sure he will back when he thinks of something." Cera said, unfeelingly.

            "Why do you say that Cera? Do you not believe he might be good now? Do you?" asked Ducky.

            "I can't believe that _you_ of all dinosaurs would think he might be reformed after what happened last time." Cera said to her. Ducky was uncomfortable about talking about the Stone of Cold Fire incident with Petrie right there.

            "Well he _did_ save me at the end. He did." Ducky pointed out.

            "Only to shorten his sentence." Cera argued.

            "Stop talking about my uncle." Petrie screeched. "Me no want to hear people argue over whether he bad or good." Cera and Ducky both apologised. An awkward silence followed this small outburst. In the end, their families calling them home ended the uncomfortable moment. Unknown to them, Pterano had been watching the argument from the shadows. Now that he knew Petrie wanted him back; he would not have to hide from everyone. This would make finding the cave containing the Lost Souls much easier. _"See you tomorrow Petrie."_ he thought to himself, grinning…

            "Alright Rax, show me the way into the cave." Pterano said. Rax shook his head.

            "The Smoking Mountain exploded recently. We will have to wait a few days before the fire–water is low enough for us to go in." Pterano sighed in annoyance.

            "Very well." he said. "I'll have the power soon enough. In the mean time, I must try to convince the residents of the valley that I have changed my "evil" like I said. That way, they won't try to stop me from fulfilling my destiny." 

            "Are you sure you can really convince them of that?" asked Ark.

            "Of course." replied Pterano. "I told my nephew that I could contribute much to the herd if they gave me the chance. This is the way I will do it." The three Flyers continued to make their plans for the next day, unable to sleep in the anticipation of gaining the power of the Lost Souls…

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	3. Trustworthy Again?

                                                            **Trustworthy Again?** By megacharizard

Two days after returning to the valley, Pterano was ready to reveal himself to the elders. He doubted that they would trust him to not get up to anything, so he devised a plan to trick them. Ark and Rax would kidnap a baby and put it into danger just where the herds could see it. At the last minute, Pterano himself would rescue it. _That_ should get their respect. That night, Rax and Ark crept up on a Clubtail nest. They quickly snatched up the smallest and lightest baby and flew off into the sky…

            The next morning, the father told the other herds about his missing child, while trying to comfort his mate. Littlefoot and the others were watching from nearby as usual.

            "Who could've kidnapped a bay?" Cera wondered.

            "More importantly, why?" said Littlefoot. Petrie and Ducky were at a loss for words. A loud scream suddenly drew everyone's attention to a small ledge where the kidnapped baby was hanging off the edge. It may have been a small ledge, but big enough to hurt a child of that size.

            "We have to help it. We do." said Ducky

            "But how we do that?" asked Petrie. They were too late to do anything. At that moment, the baby slipped and fell…

            Before anyone had time to react, a blur of light brown swept under the falling baby and lifted it upwards. The herds watched as Pterano returned to earth and set the child down onto the ground, where it was retrieved by a distraught mother. The herds stood in dumbfounded silence, not believing the very thing they saw before them. Petrie was the first to break the silence.

            "U-uncle P-p-pterano? Is it you?" he asked in a small voice. The large Flyer nodded.

            "Yes it is my nephew. I have returned." he said, smiling. Most of the dinosaurs present expected Mr Threehorn to say something in protest to this moment. But even _he_ had been silenced by Pterano's act. It was long before the parents of the Clubtail gave their thanks to him. Everyone truly believed that must've changed his ways like he said he would. Even Cera's dad was now willing to accept him back into the herd. Littlefoot and the others were soon taken in by Pterano's plan too. A cold wind swept through the valley. It was as if everyone they had been mesmerised. But then again, one is not used to witnessing miracles…

TO BE CONTINUED…         


	4. Settling in

                                                                  **Settling In** by megacharizard

It was a good ten minutes before anyone could get over what they had just seen. Eventually, Littlefoot's Grandpa broke the silence.

            "So! What….err...brings you….back…Pterano?" he asked, struggling to find words which would not sound insulting. Pterano smiled, somewhat deviously.

            "Why Longneck." he said "I thought you of all dinosaurs in this valley would be anxious to keep track of time so as to know when I would make my return." Grandpa was confused.

            "I beg your pardon, but I do not follow you." he said. Then, it dawned on him.

            "You've figured it out." Pterano said, seeing his face of realisation. "So you have remembered about the punishment you sentenced me to **five years ago**." Pterano was enjoying this. Finally, everyone was paying him the attention he deserved.

            "Well, I suppose we are no longer able to keep you from this valley anymore then." Grandpa said. Mr Threehorn opened his mouth to say something in protest, but then changed his mind. "Of course, had I known that you were to do such a spontaneous act of good then, I would have not have been so harsh in my judgement." Grandpa said, having been fooled by Pterano's plot. Everyone else was taken in too, although some, like Cera and her father, had their doubts at first. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about the past and now hastened to welcome the hero in to their home. Pterano smirked to himself. _"Part one, completed."_ he thought…

            Life in the valley swiftly returned to normal. Soon, Pterano was treated just like everyone else. While he liked this as a change from following a Hollow-horn's commands, he was still anxious to get to the lost souls. For a while, he had been so happy just being with Petrie again, he seriously considered forgetting about the cave and his 'destiny'. However, the thought of power proved to be too much of a temptation for Pterano to resist. He had to get down to that cave soon…

            Petrie was so happy to have his uncle back; he started to spend less time with his friends and more time with Pterano. It was not long before they noticed it.

            "Ever since Pterano came back, we've seen less and less of Petrie." Cera was complaining. Ducky and Spike agreed with her. Littlefoot, who realised that this is how they must have felt when he chose to play with Ali rather than them, wisely decided to not voice his complaints in case Cera rounded on him. He instead decided to stick up for Petrie.

            "Petrie is just happy that Pterano's back, that's all." he said. "The last Pterano came back, Petrie still spent time with us and I'm sure he will again. We just have to give him some time."

            "Maybe." said Cera, "But just how long will it take?" Littlefoot could not think of an answer. He to, was now starting to worry…

            Far-away from such troubles, in the Mysterious Beyond, word of Pterano's return had stretched as far as here by word of travelling Flyers. The news soon reached a herd of Longnecks. It was Ali's herd. One night, after the children in the herd were fast asleep, the elders were talking about Pterano. Ali was just about to drift off when she heard one of them muttering something about the Great Valley. Wondering if the herd was planning to return there for a while, she crept up closer to them to hear what they were talking about.

            "We were planning on heading back toward the Great Valley but now that Pterano has returned there, it might be safer if we head somewhere else." she heard one of them say. She had heard all the stories about Pterano before and knew that he was not to be trusted. That is why she could not believe her ears when she heard that everyone in the valley had been taken in by his act. The Flyers who had told the Longnecks about Pterano had even overheard his plan. So Ali also heard them talk about the lost souls. In her herd, the lost souls had been a legend that had been carried down for years. She wasn't sure it was real or not, but she did know that they were fabled to be powerful. Yet Littlefoot did not know of this and Pterano was able to work right under his nose! Ali was worried for her friends now. She returned to her nest and tried to sleep. But the thought of Pterano in the valley just kept turning over and over it her head. Eventually, she opened her eyes and looked up at the stars._ "I have no choice. If Littlefoot doesn't know what Pterano is up to, then I'll go and warn him."_ she thought. She looked over at her herd. She knew that she would never have a hope of convincing them to turn back toward the valley. Knowing that she could travel faster alone anyway, she finally decided to strike out alone. Casting one last glance at her mother, she headed off in the direction where she had seen the Bright-Circle touch the ground earlier. She knew that she would be very lucky to make it to the valley alive. Even then, she doubted that she would ever see her mother again…

TO BE CONTINUED…


	5. The Argument

**The Argument **By megacharizard

As the Bright-Circle rose, the shadows on the earth grew shorter and shorter until the dawn had passed into late morning. Ali stirred from her sleeping place. After taking the edge off her hunger by consuming the leaves of a few nearby plants, she continued on with her journey. She had been traveling for three days now and was repeatedly wondering why on earth she was traveling on dangerous lands without the protection of a herd just to warn her friends of a rumor. _"I guess I answered my own question." _she thought._ "I'm trying to help my friends, because they **are** my friends."_ With that thought satisfied, she turned away from the quarry ahead of her and on to a flat stretch of land ahead where there was nothing to hide enemies creeping up on her. But this flat open space would not last long...

As Petrie continued to spend time with Pterano, Littlefoot, Ducky, Cera and Spike noticed it more and more. As time went on, Petrie stopped seeing them altogether.

                        "I don't care if he's just happy to have his uncle back, he's starting to ignore us completely!" an agitated Cera said to the other three. "I know we agreed to give him some time, but I think he's had more than enough.

                        "You are right Cera. You are you are." Ducky agreed. Spike nodded in agreement as well. Littlefoot was hesitant but he too agreed that something must be done. He just hoped that there would not be much of an argument…

Later that morning, Cera and the others approached Petrie's cave to find him talking with Pterano again. Eventually, Pterano flew away, no doubt to check on the volcano tunnel leading to the Lost Souls. Littlefoot and the others approached Petrie. 

            "Pleasure to see you again, Petrie." Cera said, in a sarcastic tone of voice. Petrie however, did not seem to notice this and greeted his friends with enthusiasm. 

            "Hey guys!" he said. "Me no see you in a long time!" 

            "You noticed it too." Cera said, not holding back the sarcasm. "I thought it was just us." Petrie was not quite sure what she was talking about.

            "What you mean by that?" he asked.

            "Enough games, Petrie!" she shouted. "We know that you would rather be spending time with your precious uncle than with us, but you could have at least told us!" Petrie was taken back by this sudden accusation. 

            "I told you we shouldn't have let Cera do the talking!" Littlefoot whispered to Ducky. Mean while, Petrie was trying to defend himself.

            "Just because me happy to see my uncle, no mean I no want to see you guys ever again." He said. 

            "You could've fooled me!" Cera shot back. Luckily, this argument was cut short when Petrie was called up to the nest by his mother. 

            "See that?" Cera asked, with a sneer. "He couldn't even care enough to say goodbye!"

            "Well what did you expect?" asked Littlefoot. "You made angry by getting angry at him. Now he'll probably want to spend even less time with us than before."

            "Well we won't be missing out on much!" Cera said and walked in a huff. Littlefoot sighed in annoyance. He just hoped that with time, this matter would sort itself out. With Petrie and Cera mad at each other, he Ducky and Spike were left to play with each other.

Meanwhile, Pterano had made his way into the lava tunnel to check it's level. He soon found the lava and, to his delight, realised that the lava was low enough for him to just glance through to the next cave. _"It won't be long now."_ He thought. He made his way back to tell Rax and Ark the news…

TO BE CONTIUED…


	6. A New Obstacle

                                                **A New Obstacle** by megacharizard

Things were not going well with Littlefoot and the others. Neither Cera nor Petrie wanted to talk to anyone after the argument. Littlefoot had tried a few times to convince them to make up but they would not listen to him. Ducky and Spike did not wanted to be involved in this argument so they kept to themselves. So the friends were now divided. Petrie and Cera were alone with their anger and Littlefoot felt sure that solitude would help him think of a way to straighten things out. This left Ducky and Spike with only each other for company.

            Petrie was beginning to wish he had not argued with Cera the other day. As the lava in the volcano continued to recede, Pterano was spending less time with him. Fairly soon, he stopped returning to his sister's nest for meals and sleep. Petrie started to feel like he had lost his uncle all over again. Once or twice, he had thought about finding Cera and apologising to her. But he knew that she was the one who had overreacted and that she should be the one to apologise first. Of course, there was not much chance of that happening…

            Cera was angry with both Petrie and Littlefoot. She was angry with Petrie because she felt jealous of Pterano for taking up all of his time. She was angry with Littlefoot because he had blamed her for making Petrie fly away. She assumed that Petrie would want to patch things up and would soon come to apologise to her. She decided to wait until he made his apology and then she would accept it. She had no idea that he was waiting for her to do the exact same thing…

            Littlefoot was not angry, just annoyed at Cera for overreacting and being responsible for dividing the group. He also regretted snapping at Cera after the fight because he should have known better than to make her even angrier. He wondered how on earth things would be resolved. Though he had no quarrel with Spike and Ducky, he remained alone, trying to think of a way to resolve this matter. So far, he had had no luck whatsoever…

            Ducky and Spike felt like they had been caught in the crossfire between the others and so decided to stay away from them until they had sorted things out. They each wished that they had not agreed with Cera to do something about Petrie. But they knew it was much too late to have realised this. All they could do is hope that something would come along to force the others to work together. No-one had ever told them to be careful what you wish for…

            Meanwhile, out in the Mysterious Beyond, Ali had cleared the open terrain and was now forced to make her way through a small canyon. With rocks on all sides, she knew that predators could easily hide from her until it was too late. Nevertheless, she walked on faithfully, determined to reach the Great Valley. Suddenly, the quiet air was shattered by a Sharptooth's roar, echoing through the rocks. Immediately, Ali ducked behind a large boulder. _"I knew this would happen. I knew it!!" _she thought to herself. She glanced around the corner and saw a fairly large Sharptooth roaring in the triumph of a successful hunting trip. As it crouched over its prey, Ali averted her eyes, not wanting to see what came next. Moving back slightly, she brushed up against a sharp stone. It was sharp enough to draw the slightest amount of blood from her leg. She gasped silently at the sudden pain. The Sharptooth rose from its meal. It could smell the fresh blood in the air. Ali's eyes widened as she realised that the terrifying beast was heading toward her. _"Now what do I do?"_ she thought. She edged backward, making sure not to cut herself on the stone again. Suddenly, the Sharptooth lunged toward the rock, crunching it to dust and snapped its jaws at Ali. Terrified, Ali ran round it and started to run. As she hurtled past the Sharptooth's meal she realised that it was not chasing her. When she got to a safe distance, she turned to see it returning to the beast it had killed before. _"It wasn't trying to attack __me.__" _She thought, _"It was just making sure that no other Sharpteeth were after its food."_ Sighing in relief, the young Longneck turned her attention to reaching the Great Valley once more…

            Back in the Great Valley, Pterano once again made his way down into the volcano to see if the lava had dropped far enough for him to be able to walk through. To his joy, he found that it had. _"I don't believe it!"_ he thought, _"Now at long last, I Pterano shall claim what is mine and rise to power!"_ He hurried back to Rax and Ark.

            "What's got you so excited?" Rax asked him.

            "The fire-water has completely receded!" he told them. "We can now go through!"

            "What are we waiting for?" Ark said. "Let's go before the fire-water rises again!" So the three Flyers hurriedly made their way through the tunnels until they reached the entrance to the new cave.

            "And now, it is time to go forward to our destiny." Pterano said. As he walked forward, the earth started to tremble.

            "I don't believe it!" cried Ark. "It's and earthshake!" The three of them ran back quickly and turned to watch rocks crumble from the cave's ceiling and block the pathway. Again, they were cut off from their goal. They could start to shift rocks but the lava would return before they were done. Littlefoot and his friends would never know it, but that earthshake had bought them some valuable time…

            That evening, Littlefoot was walking out by himself. He had been at home when the earthshake had hit and no casualties to his family had been suffered. He had also checked up on each of his friends, despite their recent differences of opinions, and was relieved to find that they too, had been just as lucky. As he walked near the Great Wall, he heard someone making their way through one of the small tunnels. Curiosity got the better of him and he went to see who it was. As he walked a long, a figure suddenly came through the hole and collapsed at his feet. As the stranger got to their feet, Littlefoot gasped as he recognized the figure.

            "Ali?"

TO BE CONTINUED…


	7. Lost Unity

                                                    **Lost Unity** by megacharizard

As the stranger got to their feet, Littlefoot gasped as he recognized the figure.

"Ali?" Littlefoot could only stare, thunderstruck by the discovery of his friend.

            "Is…is that really…you?" he asked, almost at a loss for words. Ali was too out of breath for the moment to reply. She nodded her head, panting slightly. Littlefoot could not for the life of him think why she would be here alone.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "And where's your herd?"

"They… aren't…with me." She panted, getting her breath back. "I came here…alone." This only served to confuse Littlefoot even more.

"Why would you come here alone?" he asked.

"Tell you…later." she said. "Must…rest for a…moment. Been a…long…trip." With that, she collapsed to the ground and fell asleep immediately. A thousand questions filled Littlefoot's mind. He could not begin to think why she would come alone. He also wondered why she was here in the first place. More to the point, he wondered what to do now. Tell his grandparents? Tell his friends? He knew that before he did anything, he would have to wait until she woke up. He also concluded that she was likely to be hungry when she awoke so he passed the time by gathering treestars and wondering what she had to tell him.

            Pterano, Ark and Rax had finally made their way out of the cave. They had managed to shift a number of the rocks, but not enough to get through. Already, the lava was starting to rise again and Pterano knew it would be some time before they could get back to work.

            "I can't believe this!" he shouted, fuming. "Again, I have been denied my destiny! It seems even nature itself, wishes to control me!" Ark and Rax kept quiet as he ranted on and on. In the end, Rax finally spoke up.

            "Look, I know things aren't going our way just now, but they will get better. The fire-water will recede in time; we just have to be patient." he said.

            "We also have to make sure we can get rid of enough rocks to be able to get through within the amount of time we will have." Ark added. Pterano simmered down slightly.

            "So be it." he said. "But I **will** get what belongs to me soon enough. And then, all who have ever wronged me….shall **pay**!"

            After an age, Ali finally awoke, refreshed. Consumed with hunger, she found it necessary to fill her stomach before she told Littlefoot what she was doing here. Littlefoot waited impatiently to here what she had to say. At long last, she was ready to talk.

             "Now what's going on? he asked. 

            "I need to tell the others as well." she replied. "You all have to hear this. Where are they?" Littlefoot hesitated. He didn't want to intrude on the others while they were angry with each other, yet he didn't want to have to tell Ali why. However, they were bound to put their petty differences aside, at least temporarily when they met Ali again, weren't they? _"There's only one way to find out."_ Littlefoot thought to himself. The two Longnecks made their way to Ducky and Spike's nest first. Littlefoot was sure that they would agree to see him without question and, they could support him when he would try to talk to Cera. Needless to say, they were surprised and overjoyed to see the return of an old friend. After explaining to them that Cera and Petrie would need to be sought out as well, they agreed to help, with deep misgivings. Before long, they arrived at Petrie's cave. 

            "Hey Petrie!" he called. "Come down, we need to talk to you!" Petrie assumed that the others had forced Cera to come and apologies so he flew out of the cave and was pleasantly surprised to see the absence of Cera and the presence of Ali. His happiness soon faded when Littlefoot told him that they were going to see Cera. But he understood that whatever it was that Ali had to tell them was important so he decided to put his fight with Cera on hold and come with them.  While Ali swapped some stories with Ducky as they traveled to Cera's nest, Littlefoot took the time to have a few words with Petrie.

            "Look Petrie, I know that you and Cera are mad at each other, but your aren't going to sort this out by staying away from her." He said. Petrie jumped off Littlefoot's head and flew down to his face.

            "Me will forgive Cera, when Cera apologises to Petrie." He said. Littlefoot sighed.

            "Surely you've known Cera long enough to realise that she doesn't apologies to anyone. It's just not in her character." Petrie flew back on to Littlefoot's and remained silent. When they arrived at Cera's nest, they had trouble convincing her to come out until she realised Ali was with them. With everyone together for the first time in weeks, they walked up to Peace-keeper's Ledge. During the walk, Cera and Petrie refused to talk to each other. They barely even looked at one another. At last, they reached the ledge and settled down to hear what Ali had to say.

            "I came here to tell you about a Flyer who came into your valley a few weeks ago." she began. "His name is Pterano." The others were confused by this.

            "We know." said Littlefoot. "He's Petrie's uncle." Ali was surprised to learn this and now realised that it would be very difficult to badmouth Petrie's uncle in front of him. Nevertheless, she had to tell them.

            "Well, I guess you know about the story of the Stone of Cold Fire then." she said. No-one replied at once. Having the Stone of Cold Fire incident brought once already had been bad enough.

            "We know about that story. We do, we do." Ducky said, at length. For the second time, Ali was surprised. However, she did not press for details, knowing that she could ask later.

            "Well…this is kind of hard to say but…I think…Pterano is up to no good again." she said, apprehensively. 

            "What do you mean?" asked Cera, thinking that this could force Petrie to apologies if it were true. Petrie was about to protest to what Ali had stated, but Ducky held his beak shut, wanting to hear the rest of this. 

            "There's a legend in my herd about the Flyers who were thought to rule the world a long time ago." she began. This time, Cera tried to speak out, but Spike stopped her.

            "Go on." Littlefoot said, paying no attention to the other's antics. Ali told them all about the legend of the Lost Souls. Everyone gave her their undivided attention. Petrie and Cera even forgot their protests as they herd the story. It took quite a time for Ali to tell them what Rax and Ark had told Pterano. However, they had known something that Ali had not. She had never been told how to get into the cave of the Lost Souls and so she was unable to tell the others. Soon enough, she came to the end of her story.

            "…so, it seems that Pterano came back to the valley to try and claim the power which the Lost Souls promise." The others were doubtful of her tale. Cera was all for believing that Pterano was bad, but she was skeptical about the legend itself. Ducky and Spike believed the legend was real wholeheartedly, but refused to believe that Pterano was trying to get to the power. Petrie didn't believe any of it. He thought the legend was just a story and Pterano was as good as he said. Littlefoot was in two minds about both. He knew there was a chance that Pterano could be bad, but he still believed that the rescue of the baby Clubtail was a spontaneous act of goodwill. As for the legend, he thought it could be real, but after discovering the Stone of Cold Fire to be a fake, he was not sure about this either. Had he known what his indecisiveness was leading to, he would have made up his mind quicker. Ali waited for their reactions. Petrie's went as well as could be expected.

            "Me no believe you! Pterano no do that anymore!" he declared.

            "Petrie, I'm sorry, but I'm not wrong about this." she sighed. Petrie flew off without another word, not wanting to hear anymore. Ali turned back to the others to hear their opinions.

            "I bet your right about Pterano, but I really doubt that this cave of yours is real." Cera said. "While I would _love_ to hear more bedtime stories, I have to be going now." With that, she walked off. Ali sighed. This was _not_ going well. Ducky approached her nervously.

            "Me and Spike believe you about the cave. We do. But Pterano _is_ nice now. He is." They would have stayed, but Ducky's mother called them home. 

            "Well this hasn't gone too well." Ali said to Littlefoot. "What do you think?"

            "I'm not sure." he replied. "On one hand, it does sound like the sort of thing Pterano would do. However, the Stone of Cold Fire turned out to be fake and so could this. And Pterano_ did_ save that kid." Ali sighed.

            "Then I may as well have not bothered coming." she said and walked off leaving Littlefoot standing there by himself. The six friends had been divided…

TO BE CONTINUED…


	8. Plan Revealed

                                                **Plan Revealed** by megacharizard

Ali ran as quickly as she could to get away from Peace-keeper's Ledge. After all the danger she had gone through to warn her friends, they hadn't believed her when she told them of Pterano's plot. She wanted to hate them now. She really did. But her conscience would not allow her to do such a thing. She soon reached a copse where she could hide in case Littlefoot tried to run after her. Once inside, she sat down to think. _"How could they not believe me?"_ she thought. _"I guess Petrie would want to stick up for his uncle, though I still can not believe that they are related, but why wouldn't the others listen."_ Had she stayed with Littlefoot and waited for an explanation of his answer, she might have found a way to convince him of the truth. But sitting there, alone with her thoughts, all she could do was think of how she had wasted her time to help some friends who, it seemed, weren't really her friends after all._ "I should have guessed that the only reason they wanted me around was to find the Night-flower for them."_ she thought, bitterly. Again and again, she came to the conclusion that there was no point in staying around in the valley. If she left now, she might have a chance of reuniting with her herd again, if she were quick. _"Well, I guess there's nothing for me here."_ she thought._ "I should try and get back to the herd and just forget about Littlefoot and the others."_ so, with a heavy heart, the young Longneck got to her feet and made her way toward the valley's entrance, determined to server all connections with Littlefoot and his friends…

            Filled with guilt, Littlefoot made his way down the slope, heading for home. It had been bad enough that they were fighting amongst themselves, but to bring another into it made it even worse. On his way back, he passed Petrie's cave. As he walked, he saw Pterano fly out, heading toward the smoking mountain. He still doubted Ali's story, but he decided to follow, just to make sure. He found it necessary to crawl through the undergrowth that littered the pathway, in order to stay out of sight. As Pterano flew on, Littlefoot ducked into a thicket of trees. Unseen, he was able to gallop and catch up. Eventually, Pterano landed near the mountain. Littlefoot hid behind a large boulder and watched him approach two other Flyers. One was black and the other was red. Littlefoot remembered Ali telling them that Pterano had found two new friends. It was starting to look like Ali might have been right after all. He could just make out what they were saying.

            "How is the fire-water doing?" Pterano was asking. This only served to confuse Littlefoot as he had no idea of where, or what, the entrances to the cave were.

            "It is receding, but it seems to be moving much slower than the last time." Ark answered the question. Pterano was annoyed by this and visibly shook with anger. He turned to Rax. Since arriving, Pterano had made him keep an eye on the other dinosaurs, especially Littlefoot and the others, so they would know if trouble was rising.

            "Is anyone getting suspicious?" Pterano asked. Rax shook his head.

            "I don't think anyone cares about what we're up to." he replied. _"Well _that_ doesn't sound too good."_ Littlefoot thought.

            "So, most importantly, the children suspect nothing?" he asked.

            "I don't think they will be much of a problem." sad Rax. "They seem to be arguing among themselves right now. Too self involved to worry about what we are up to."

            "Good." Pterano said. _"They've been spying on us!"_ Littlefoot realised._ "I wonder if they know about Ali returning."_ He watched as they made their way toward the base of the smoking mountain. Now, he could barely hear what they were saying. However, he did manage to pick up just two words. Those words… were 'lost'…and 'souls'…

            Ali had soon made some reasonable distance. It was almost dark and she decided now would be a suitable time to find a place to spend the night. She looked all around and spotted an overhanging rock. She made her way over to it, curled up and prepared to fall asleep. However, it was impossible to do such a thing when there were so many thoughts running through her mind. Would she be able to catch up with her herd? Was she doing the right thing by leaving the valley? Should she have gone in the first place? What was going to happen to Littlefoot know? She came back to that last question again and again. Even though he did not believe her about Pterano, she just couldn't let him stay there in danger, unaware of it. Though she would not admit it, since her herd had left the valley and she had grown up a little, she had developed a crush on him. Now, she knew that she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if something happened to him. She made up her mind. She would go back to the valley, knowing full well that she was giving up all chances of returning to her herd, and try again to convince him of Pterano's plot. With her mind finally straightened out, she was able to full asleep, deciding to head back in the morning.

            As Littlefoot walked away from the smoking mountain, all he could think about was how Ali had been right and how he hadn't believed her._ "I still don't know if this whole 'Lost Souls' thing is real or not, but when Pterano wants something this badly, he's dangerous."_ he thought. He decided that the first thing to do would be to go and find Ali and apologies. He was sure that the others would believe her know that he would be backing her up.  He made his way back to Peace-keeper's Ledge. By the time he arrived, the last traces of the day disappeared as darkness enveloped the sky. From the ledge, he was able to find Ali's scent and started to follow it. The scent led him to a copse. Then, it seemed to veer of in a completely different direction. As he drew nearer and nearer to the Great Wall, he started to worry. _"I knew she was upset, but she wouldn't have left the valley, would she?"_ he thought to himself.  His fears were confirmed when he reached the West Pass and realised that the scent traveled straight out into the Mysterious Beyond. _"Blast! She has! How could she have left?"_ he thought. Knowing that he had no other choice, he took one last look around the valley and then followed the trail out of it…

TO BE CONTINUED…                     


	9. Beyond the Great Wall

                                                                                   **Beyond The Great Wall** by megacharizard

Though his brothers and sisters were asleep with their mother, Petrie's eyes had remained open long after the Bright-Circle had removed it's presence from the sky. He had been so excited at first to see the return of an old friend, but the accusations Ali had made about his Uncle Pterano simply could, nor would not, be accepted. After all, they say blood runs thicker than water. Petrie sat by the entrance to the cave his family used as their home. It seemed that the five friends, who had struggled through so many hardships and dangers together, had finally been alienated from one another. Part of Petrie wanted everyone to make up and forget what happened, but he decided that forgiveness would come only after an apology was made. Until then, he would not speak to the others. He tried to settle down to sleep but, even now, anger kept his eyes open. In the end, he decided to calm himself down and tire himself out by flying around the valley a few times. He walked to the mouth of the cave, flapped his wings and took off into the black, starry sky…

            When morning finally came, Littlefoot was up at once. He was sure Ali would sleep a while longer, having walked so much the day before, so this was his chance to gain some ground and catch up. He had spent the night sleeping in a ditch. It had not been his best decision ever, but there had been no other source of cover, so when it was a choice between smelling bad the next day and being eaten, he concluded that he could always have a bath later. He just hoped that when he tried to convince Ali to return, the smell wouldn't put her off! As he walked on, he mind returned to what he had heard Pterano talking about the day before. No words had been uttered which proved, or disproved the existence of the 'Lost Souls', but now he knew that Petrie's 'dear old uncle' was up to something. He also wondered how the others would react when he would back up Ali by telling them all what he had seen. He doubted that another voice would be enough to sway Petrie's mind, but the others were definitely going to have mixed reactions bout this. Just what kind of reactions would they be?

            Littlefoot had been right when he assumed Ali would sleep longer than he had. She awoke a few hours later and by this time, Littlefoot was getting very close to her. Ali made her way out of the small cave. She remembered the decision she had made the night before, and set off, back in the direction of the valley. As she walked, she was saddened when she thought about her mother. She was certain that she would never see that smiling face again. That s until, it finally dawned on her that the herd was, one day, bound to return to the Great Valley for a visit. When that happened, she would be able to see her mother once again. With this thought finally satisfied, she quickened her pace, with new heart in her. Now her thoughts turned to how she was going to convince Littlefoot that she had been telling the truth before. Before she made it very far with theses thoughts, a loud roar filled the canyon. _"Not again!"_ Ali thought, remembering the Sharptooth she had met on the way to the valley. Ali looked around the corner and saw a Sharptooth that had just woken up and was now ready for some breakfast. As luck would have it, she was the closest morsel around, and she decided that it would be a good idea to put some distance between her and the large killing machine. Unfortunately, the Sharptooth had already spotted her, and decided to participate in a spot of hunting. It let out an almighty roar and lumbered toward her. Though terrified, Al knew she could not turn tail and run as instinct told her. If she did so, she would distance herself from the valley. So, massing together her courage, she charged straight toward the Sharptooth, running right through the titan's legs. With the Sharptooth behind her, she set her sights on the valley walls, wishing she had not made so much progress the previous night. Behind her, the massive juggernaut saw its quarry escaping and immediately turned around to give chase…

 Not very far away, Littlefoot heard the roars made by the Sharptooth. _"Oh please don't let it be after Ali! I can't take so much in just one morning!"_ he thought to himself. To his dismay, Ali's scent, which he had been following, due to a lack of footprints, seemed to run in that direction._ "Great!"_ Littlefoot thought._ "Just great!"_ He quickened his paced as much as possible. Eventually, Ali came into view. Though he could not see the Sharptooth he had heard before, he could tell by the way that Ali was streaking toward him, his fears had been confirmed. Needless to say, Ali was surprised to see Littlefoot, but time this was not for saying hello. 

"Run Littlefoot!" she cried. "A Sharptooth is coming!" She ran on past him, heading in the direction he had come from. As Littlefoot turned to run, he saw the giant behemoth approaching. A second later, Littlefoot was away like a shot, following in Ali's direction. The Sharptooth, now seeing it could have twice the meal it originally assumed it would, quickened its pace, ready for the kill. Littlefoot was soon level with Ali, but both were tiring and could plainly see their foe was advancing.

"We can't keep this up for long!" Littlefoot yelled to Ali. Ali nodded in agreement.

"Their must be a way to stop it!" She cried back. As the two young Longnecks ran, they each scoured the tall rocky walls on either side of them, desperately searching for something that could help them. Ali spotted a small cave close by.

"Littlefoot! We can hide in there!" she called to him. They ran toward the open and just managed to squeeze through before the large jaws behind them snapped shut. 

"That was close!" Littlefoot gasped, pausing for breath. They walked on a little, wanting to get away from the Sharptooth. As they came to end of the small tunnel, they found themselves in a large cavern, filled with lava pools. Now it was time to talk.

"Why did you come out here Littlefoot?" Ali asked. Littlefoot could not bring himself to look Ali directly in the eyes.

"I overheard Pterano talking to some Flyer about the 'Lost Souls'. I tried to find you so I could apologies for not believing you before. Then I realised that you had left the valley." he explained. Now it was Ali's turn to hang her head. She was ashamed of her reckless decision to leave the valley so quickly, but she was glad that she now had one less friend to convince.

"You've got nothing to apologies for." she said. "I shouldn't have overreacted when you didn't buy what I was saying. I guess it is a little hard to believe." Littlefoot sighed in relief. 

"So what do we do now?" he asked, more to himself than to Ali.

"We have to find another way out of the cave." she said. "Sharptooth may not be smart, but they are very persistent. That brute will stay there for the rest of the day." Littlefoot nodded in agreement. As they got to there feet and prepared to explore the cave, Ali started to sniff the air. Littlefoot gulped as he realised the effects of sleeping in the ditch last night had not worn off yet.

What is that smell?" Ali asked…

TO BE CONTINUED…


	10. The Danger of Fire

                                                                                                **The Danger of Fire** by megacharizard

After Littlefoot had explained to Ali that his sleeping arrangements had been the cause of the foul smell in the air, she took pity on him and said nothing more about the subject (although she found it necessary to breath through her mouth!). With the Sharptooth cutting off the only exit they knew of, they were forced to find a new pathway out. As they made their way past the pools of liquid fire, Ali told Littlefoot about the secrets of the 'Lost Souls' in more detail, so he would have an idea of just how dangerous Pterano would be if the power truly did exist. However, Ali had left out one important detail which Littlefoot was quick to pick up on.

            "You've me a lot about this legend, but there's just one thing I still don't know." he said.

            "And what might that be?" asked Ali, in a lighthearted mood.

            "How exactly do you get into this cave?" he asked. Ali's face dropped almost immediately.

            "I don't know" she said. "Not many dinosaurs do know." Littlefoot sighed in annoyance. At first, Ali thought that Littlefoot was thinking that this was her fault, but soon found that such an accusation had never been in his mind.

            "I hope Pterano doesn't know, or he's gonna be one step ahead of us." Littlefoot voiced his fears to her.

            "Four or five more like." Ali said, as a weak joke. The two of them continued onward, talking about where the entrance could be, never knowing, until it would be too late, that this volcano experienced many earthquakes. They were also unaware that a new earthquake was going to start soon. As they moved on, some of the rocks, started to shift…

            In the valley the rest of the group had risen at a slightly later hour, each wondering what to do (except Spike who was wondering what was for breakfast). Cera was still not on speaking terms with Petrie, but would have gladly played with the others. Though pride forbade her to admit it, she missed her friends even though they lived so close by. She thought of going to find Ali, but soon realised that Ali was probably angry with for accusing her of making up everything she said last night. After all, it had been no different when they had first met and she accused her of making up a story about Littlefoot being trapped in a cave. For one brief moment, Cera considered going over to Ali's sleeping place, wherever it was and apologising. However, pride soon reclaimed her mind, and she concluded that it was not her problem if Ali was going to be upset by the smallest little thing.

            Meanwhile, Ducky and Spike had also awakened, though it had taken an age to get Spike to get up.  Spike, of course, was really too young to know what was gong on and so he had a guilt-free day to look forward to. Ducky, though not responsible for the quarrel between Petrie and Cera, did feel bad about what she had said to Ali. Unlike Cera, pride was no master to her and so she decided to go and apologies to Ali along with Spike. Ducky also realised that she had never stayed to hear what Littlefoot's opinion of Ali's tale was. As they made their way to Peace-keeper's Ledge, she wondered what he would've said. Eventually, the two of them arrived at that same rocky hill where they had last been united. It did not take long to pick up Ali's fading scent as Littlefoot had done the night before. While following it, Ducky noticed that Littlefoot's scent ran in the same direction. At first, Ducky thought that the two Longnecks were traveling together, but realised that Littlefoot's scent was fresher. That would mean Littlefoot was following her for some reason. Curiosity wrapping around her more and more, Ducky wondered if something bad was happening. She relayed everything she had figured out to Spike (though he didn't have the faintest idea of what she was going on about) and the two of them followed the trail onward until they reached the West Pass. Ducky was, needless to say, shocked to find that the trail led straight out into the unknown horrors beyond the wall.

            "Oh no, no, no!" she cried out loud. "Spike, they have left the Great Valley, they have! What do we do?" Of course, asking Spike a question where he couldn't answer by nodding or shaking his head was pointless. Ducky knew that neither Cera nor Petrie would want to see her today, so she abandoned the idea of going to them for help. She realised that there was only one thing to do.

            "We must go after them Spike. We must. Yep, yep, yep!" she said to her 'brother'. Spike nodded his head and the two of them made their way out of the valley, hoping the others had not strayed too far…

            Up in the air, Petrie, who had never returned home from his nocturnal flight, had been watching Ducky and Spike for the entire time. He had not heard what they were saying, but when he saw them leave the valley, he knew that there was going to be trouble. _"Me better follow them to make sure they no get in trouble."_ he thought, casting aside his desire for solitude, at least for now. He swooped down low to gain momentum and then rose up on a thermal to stay out of sight. As the three of them enter the realm of mystery, unprotected, Cera remained safe, yet alone inside the Great Wall, not knowing that she was the only one being left out of the adventure…

            While the unplanned rescue mission started off, Littlefoot and Al made their way deeper into the volcano. They huddled together to stay away from the lava pools. as the walked, Ali continued to tell Littlefoot about the legend in more detail, yet still, she could not tell him how they could get to the 'Lost Souls' before Pterano. However, something started dawned on Littlefoot, something from last night which he had forgotten about until now. He stopped Ali in her tracks to tell her.

            "Wait a second!" he suddenly exclaimed. Ali was taken aback by her companion's sudden outburst.

            "What? What is it?" she asked. Littlefoot frowned.

            "I think I may have an idea of where the entrance to the cave is." he sad, triumphantly.

            "Where is it?" Ali asked. Littlefoot smiled.

            "Last night, when I overheard Pterano talking about the 'Lost Souls', I saw him heading toward the base of the Smoking Mountain with his friends. They were talking about the fire-water inside. That has to mean the entrance is close to there." he explained, a little too quickly. Ali took a few seconds to figure out what he had just said. When she had worked it out, her eyes shone, not realizing that Littlefoot was staring into them, practically mesmerized. 

            "This is great!" she exclaimed, bringing Littlefoot to his senses.  "Now we have a better idea of where to look for the entrance!" Unfortunately, Littlefoot had to rain on her parade.

            "We may be a little closer to solving this problem, but if Pterano was heading toward the entrance, it means he knows exactly where it is, while we only have a very rough idea of where it **might **be." he explained. This point brought Ali back to earth with a bump.

            "Ah." she said. "You've got a point there, but I think-" Before she could finish, an earthquake started up, right in the middle of the cave.

            "Great!" Littlefoot yelled. "Now what do we do?" Ali was not usually one to be sarcastic, but panic can people do all sorts of crazy things.

            "Why don't we run?" she asked, sounding as if it were the most brilliant plan ever. They quickly sprinted over a large rock bridge, stretching over one of the widest lava pools. Earthquakes never last very long, but the destruction they cause in those few seconds is phenomenal. It its dying moments, the earthquake split the bridge in half, right under the feet of the two Longnecks. With no time to react, they fell from the stony path, down toward the burning lava…

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	11. Truce?

                                                                                                **Truce?** By megacharizard

As Littlefoot and Ali fell, their lives flashed before their eyes. Littlefoot saw Chomper, Doc, Mo and many other friends long gone. He saw himself meeting Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike for the first time ever. He saw Ali come and go. His memories showed him his parents. One who had died to save his life. And the other, whose duty kept the two of them apart. _"Well, at least I guess I'm going to be reunited with at least one of them now."_ he thought…

            Ali too, saw her family before her. She saw the Land of Mists, before and after it had changed. She saw sandy deserts, grassy meadows, high mountains and green forests. She had seen ten times as much her friends in her short little life. She saw herself meeting Littlefoot, traveling through the caves and the forests with him…and eventually having to say goodbye. _"Well, at least there won't be a second goodbye."_ she thought…

            With Ducky on his back, Spike had walked a fair amount of distance and had almost reached the cave Ali and Littlefoot had hidden in. From the air, Petrie could see the Sharptooth the two Longnecks had run from earlier, still lying in wait. With no other choices left, he flew down to tell them to stop. But he was too late. The Sharptooth had already picked up their scent and decided to forsake its task of waiting for the Longnecks to reappear. It lifted up its massive head and gave out a roar to wake the dead. Spike came to a grinding halt at once. The Sharptooth appeared around the corner, drooling like a mad dog. Like Ali had done earlier, He ran straight through its legs and continued to follow the trail at a much more rapid pace. Its jaws came crashing, the snarls drowning out Ducky's screams. But in the last second, Spike squeezed into the same cave as Littlefoot and Ali had taken refuge in, allowing them to escape by the skin of their teeth…

            Once inside, they paused for breath. But before Ducky could say anything, and earthquake began, bringing rocks crashing down around them. Ducky was away like a shot, but Spike seemed to be paralyzed with fear. Ducky ran back to him and tried to make him move.

            "Spike! We must run! It is and earthshake! It is!" she screamed in his ear. This outburst seemed to breakthrough to Spike, and got him to run. It did not take long for the shaking to stop, but when they looked back, they could easily see that fallen rocks had blocked their way out…

            From the air, Petrie saw his friends duck into the cave and the earthquake begin. When it finally stopped, the Sharptooth, who had concluded that this had been a VERY bad morning's hunting, lumbered off to find some other poor soul to fill its stomach with. Petrie flew down to the cave and surveyed the damage the earthquake had caused. Hoping to receive an answer, he shouted out to his friends.

            "Ducky! Spike! Can you hear Petrie?" he bellowed. From the other side of the debris, Ducky and Spike were just able to hear his voice calling to them. They were, obviously surprised to hear their friend calling out to them, but Ducky replied anyway.

            "We can hear you Petrie! We can! What are you doing here?" she shouted back. Petrie was relieved to discover that his friends were alright.

            "Me saw you leaving valley and me followed you! Why YOU here?" he asked.

            "Littlefoot and Ali are out here too! They are! We were following them! We can pick up their scent from in here! They must be in this cave too! They must!" Ducky explained. Petrie was shocked to here this but he knew this was no time for asking questions. He had to get them out of there, but he couldn't do it alone. There was only one dinosaur that could help.

            "You go find them! Me get help to move rocks!" he cried and immediately took off, not hearing Ducky bid him good luck…

            Littlefoot woke up, finding himself on a rock, lying next to Ali. He was surprised to find that this rock was in the middle of a lava pool. He looked around and finally realised that he and Ali must have landed on this instead of in the lava. _"Well that was TOO close."_ he thought. _"I guess we both must have fainted while falling."_  Littlefoot let out a big sigh of relief, now understanding just how close their lucky escape had been. He wondered how they were going to get off the rock without burning themselves in the lava. He looked up and could easily seethe the remains of the rock bridge were far too high up for them to climb back up. _"But there's no point in trying to find a way out until Ali wakes up."_ He thought to himself. He looked over at her. Part of him wanted to wake her up so they could think of a way out. But the other part was content with watching her sleep. He lay his head down again, next to hers, deciding to rest after such a strenuous morning. The lava problem could wait. It would still be there when they woke up…

            As Petrie made his way back to the valley, he thought about the idea he had in mind. It was not a good one. He could ask none of the elders to help because his friends would be in trouble if he did. So, the only dinosaur he knew with enough strength to bring that wall down…was Cera. This was the second time in less than two days that he would have to forge a temporary truce with her and he hated it. He wondered how he would get her to listen to him. He wondered how she would reply. What would happen after this problem had been sorted out? He now started to wonder if the other four had planned this from the beginning tin order to reform Petrie's and Cera's friendship. But he pushed that thought away quickly. Whether it was a trick or not, he knew that he did not have time to take a chance…

            Ducky had thought it to be a stroke of luck that the trail they had been following appeared to run through the cave. She never stopped to think that Spike had deliberately followed the scent, while at the same time, running from the Sharptooth. But that was not important anyway. She had to find Littlefoot and Ali quickly. One scan of the cave's lava pools told her that this place was dangerous and that it was vital to get her friends out as soon as possible. Slightly nervous about walking near lava, she hummed a little tune to keeping her spirits up. She and Spike eventually came to the rock bridge Ali and Littlefoot had been on when the earthquake had hit, only to see the gap in the middle and find the scent come to an abrupt end. From where she was, she could not see her friends, one asleep, and the other unconscious below on the rock.

            "Oh Spike! They have fallen into the fire-water! They have!" she exclaimed, stricken with grief. Spike looked down, not seeing their friends either. He let out a wail of despair. They stood there, not moving, hardly believing that two of their best friends…were dead…

            Ignorant of the apparent tragedy, Petrie finally reached Cera's nesting ground. He spotted Cera, still asleep and flew down to her. _"He we go then."_ he thought to himself, with deep misgivings. He shook her slightly, to wake her up, but he was too small for her to notice. So he decided to wake her up and get a little payback at the same time. He stabbed her in the back with his sharp beak, hard. Cera awoke at first, gasping at the slight pain. Petrie immediately took to the air, in case she tried to hit him for stabbing her. She stood up and looked for the one responsible for her rude awakening.

            "Who did that?" she cried, angrily.

            "That me. Sorry."  Petrie said, apprehensively. Cera turned around and looked up. She was naturally surprised to see Petrie come to her so willingly. She guessed he was here to apologies.

            "What do you want?" she asked, somewhat rudely.

            "Me need help." he began. "Friends trapped in cave in Mysterious Beyond. Need you to break down wall." Cera snorted in disbelief.

            "You really expect me to believe that?" she asked, incredulously. "What kind of fool do you take me for?" Petrie sighed.

            "You no have to believe Petrie if you no want to, but are you really gonna risk losing friends to save pride?" Cera was silent. Petrie knew he almost had hr convinced. "Wont Cera help Petrie?" he asked…

TO BE CONTINUED…


	12. The Lake of Fire

                                                                                                **The Lake of Fire** by megacharizard

Cera took a deep breath. She was no longer sure of what to believe. She had not believed Ali when she had told them a similar story, but that had turned out to be the truth. So what of this? Petrie's last words had stung. _"Are you really going to risk losing friends to save pride?"_  That question kept turning over and over in her mind. She had to find an answer that would not make her look like a bad person, nor would it make her lose face.

            "Alright, I'll come with you." she said. "But if this is all some weak, pathetic joke, I'll make you very sorry." To her, a threat seemed to be a good way to end it. Petrie nodded, happily.

            "Me swear that this no prank. Me show you way to others." He said, taking flight once more. Cera followed him, wondering if she had made the right choice, or if the others were trying to have fun at her expense.

            Meanwhile, with heavy hearts, Ducky and Spike made their way back to the blocked up cave entrance. Once there, they both burst into tears, mourning for the loss of their friends. Both tried to comfort the other, but it was of no use. Neither could console, and neither would be consoled. They wondered what on earth they were going to tell the others when they arrived…

            After Ducky and Spike had come and gone, Littlefoot awoke again to see that this time, Ali was conscious. Unaware that he was awake, she was rubbing the side of her head with her foot, having landed on it when they hit the rock, knocking her out cold in the process. Littlefoot rose to his feet, but he felt a sharp pain shoot up his front right leg and his knees buckled, bringing him back down. He let out a cry of pain, making Ali jump.

            "Are you alright?" she asked, worried. 

"No…something hurts!" he said, wincing in pain. He looked at his right fore foot. On the underside, a sharp stone was stuck in to his skin like a thorn. He had not noticed before, but now the pain was excruciating. Littlefoot gasped in pain and tried to pull it out with his teeth, but the pain was too much to bear. Seeing him recoil, Ali decided to try and get it out for him. She lowered her head and clasped her teeth around the stone and, ignoring Littlefoot's painful protests, pulled it out as quickly as possible. Littlefoot let out another cry of pain and clasped the wound to his chest, wincing slightly.

"Th-th-thanks." he stuttered, breathing heavily. Ali tossed away the stone and spat out the blood that was still in her mouth. 

"No problem." she said, smiling apologetically. "Sorry about that." Littlefoot took his paw away from his side and shook it a little.

"Better out than in, I guess" he replied, with a look of gratitude upon his face. Ali licked the wound to soothe the pain, ignoring the blood's foul taste.Littlefoot sighed in relief. Presently, Ali rose and, again, spat out blood.

"I can't for the life of me think why Sharpteeth like that stuff." she said. "How is it?" Littlefoot put it on the ground and, gingerly, tested his weight on it. The sting had lessened.

"It's a little better. Thanks again" he said, standing up again. From where he was now, he could see a large bruise on the side of Ali's head.

"How's **that**?" he asked, concerned. Ali rubbed her head again and stood up.

"Nothing that won't heal." she said. With their energy replenished and pains fading, the two Longnecks now found themselves faced with the daunting task of making their way to safety.

"I don't know **how** we're gonna get out of this one." Littlefoot sighed. They scouted around again. The rock they were standing on was not the only one in the lava pool. There were several dotted around, some close by, others further away. Ali soon thought of a solution.

"It would be risky, but we could use those rocks to jump over to the edge of the pool. I think we could just make it." Littlefoot was not too enthusiastic about this plan and neither was she.

"You're right." he said. "It is risky. But I guess we've got to do something. We can't stay on this rock forever." Ali nodded. This was going to be very dangerous…

Petrie and Cera eventually reached the cave's entrance and now Cera could see that Petrie had not been lying. Without uttering a word of apology, she began to dig through, sending a shower of rocks in Petrie's direction, forcing to take to the air once more. On the inside, Ducky and Spike were still mourning the loss of their friends when suddenly, the rocks blocking the entrance, started to fall away. They were shocked at first, but were relieved to see the faces of Cera and Petrie on the other side. Soon enough, the debris was cleared and the 'siblings' were able to walk out.

"Me thought you guys gonna get Littlefoot and Ali first." were Petrie's first words. Immediately, they looked downcast and solemn. The other two were, no doubt, surprised by this reaction.

"Hey what's the matter with you two?" Cera asked. "Wouldn't hurt to say: 'thanks for getting us out of there.' And where are Littlefoot and Ali?" Ducky took a deep breath.

"We looked inside the big, creepy cave for them. We came to a pool of fire-water. Their scent stopped at the very edge. They must have fallen in. Yep, yep, yep." Ducky said, bursting into tears again. Cera and Petrie were shocked by what they heard. There was no way whatsoever that they could ever believe that two of their friends…were dead…

Ignorant of the misery their friends were going through, Littlefoot and Ali were ready to start moving. One rock was extremely close by and so they decided this would be a good way to start.

"Okay then. Here we go!" Littlefoot gulped. He backed up a little to get a run up and galloped toward the lava. When he reached the edge of the rock, he leapt up into the air, and sailed across the magma, landing safely on the next rock. He landed heavily on his injured foot and his legs quivered when he drew it away from the ground. This was going to take a long time. He turned back to Ali.

"Alright, your turn!" he yelled to her. Ali nodded and took a deep breath. She made across safely, with no bleeding paw to worry about. They had less space on this rock and the next one was further away than this had been.

"This is gonna been even harder than I thought." Ali remarked. "Are you sure you can jump alright with your foot like that?" Seeing Littlefoot stumble when landing had made her feel concerned for his safety.

"I'll be fine." he assured her. "Even if it were a problem, I would have to jump anyway. Can't hang around here." After the words left his mouth, the ground began to shudder, violently.

"Oh no!" Ali gasped. "Another earthshake!" They could each see the problem was even worse than that. The lava was starting to rise. It would not be long before it would flood over the stones, leaving them trapped in the middle of a lake of fire…                          

TO BE CONTINUED…


	13. Nothing Else Matters

                                                                                                **Nothing Else Matters** by megacharizard

As the lava raised higher and higher, Littlefoot and Ali were running dangerously low on time. There was no time to make plans and work out routes. They gave in to instinct, running and jumping from rock to rock, old pains forgotten. Neither paused when they came to a jump to see if they could make it. Neither stopped to plan a route to the edge. No time to stop. No time to plan. No time to think. Only time…to act. More by luck, rather than judgment, Ali found herself on a rock near to the edge of the pool. She took a deep breath and made the final jump. She landed safely and turned to find Littlefoot, still trying to find a way to safety. Worrying, Ali shouted encouragement to him.

            "Come on! You can do it! It's not much further." she screamed to him. Littlefoot reached a high rock and they both watched in horror, as the lava engulfed every other stone, cutting off any chance of escape…

            While the fate of Littlefoot and Ali remained unknown to Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike, they could do nothing. Nothing but weep for their friends, each feeling indirectly responsible for the supposed tragedy now staring at them in the face. After an age, Cera stood up.

            "Come on." she said, in a shaky voice. "It's dangerous out here and there's nothing more we can do to help Littlefoot and Ali. We have to get back to the valley." The others knew she was right. They slowly rose to their feet and set off. As they walked, Petrie flew over to Cera. Cera had finally had enough arguing and decided to put an end to it.

            "Hey Petrie?" she called to him, apprehensively.

            "Yeah?" Petrie replied, turning to her. Ducky and Spike walked on a bit, knowing that this did not concern them. Cera continued.

            "I…I want to…apologies…for what I said before. About you and your uncle. I'm…sorry." It took her an age to get the words out, but for one who did not often say 'sorry', this had been one of her better apology's. Petrie smiled, sadly.

            "That okay." he said. "Me sorry too." Each forgave the other and, at last, the argument was finally over. But as Petrie took his old place up on Cera's back, he could not help feeling that it had taken the deaths of two of their best friends to help them see the light…

            Back inside the cave, the earthquake finally ended and the lava stopped rising. However, Littlefoot was still trapped. Ali, safe on the other side of the pool, called out to him.

            "Are you okay Littlefoot?" she called. Though trapped, he was no worse for wear. 

            "Yeah, I'm!" he called back. "But I think we have problem!"

            "Hang on!" she called back. "Let me look around a little!" 

            "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere!" he shouted. Ali rolled her eyes at this remark and began searching for a way to help her trapped friend. She saw a large rock, very long in particular, leaning over the lava, just a little. It didn't stretch far enough for Littlefoot to reach it…yet. There was a fairly large boulder which was supporting the rock and preventing it from falling in. If the boulder was moved away, the rock would fall and make a bridge for Littlefoot to walk across. _"I wish Cera was here to help with this."_ she thought. She started to push against the boulder, hoping that the rock would not crush her, when its support was gone. She came up with and idea to prevent that from happening. Instead of pushing it to the side, she pushed in toward the lava, keeping it under the large rock the whole time. This allowed the large rock to drop slowly to a point where Littlefoot was able to jump up and grab onto it. Ali ran around to the other end of the rock, climbed on and ran over to help him up. Offering him her tail, he grabbed it in and she pulled him up.

            "Oh boy!" Littlefoot gasped, panting for breath after the struggle. "Thanks!" Ali smiled in return and looked at her tooth-marked covered tail. _"I guess it makes up for the time when I bit **him** on the tail."_she thought, fondly remembering the tricks she had played on him, just before they first met each other face to face.

            "Come on." she said, cheerfully. "We still have to find that way out." So they continued onward, never knowing that the way in was usable again. Not that that mattered. It was not long before they finally found another exit, which led them straight back into the valley. 

            "We're back!' Littlefoot cried running and jumping about playfully. Ali laughed and joined him and they raced about together, finally out of harm's way.

            Meanwhile, Cera and the others were still making their way back to the valley, their hearts heavy. As they walked around a bend, they heard several familiar roars. An instant later, four velociraptors, jumped down from the rocks above, brandishing their claws.

            "Aww, not now!" Cera moaned, in frustration. As the pack started to surround them, Petrie had an idea. He flew away from the Sharpteeth, over to a small rock. He picked it up and flew back to the group. Petrie soon figured out which Sharptooth was the leader and dropped he rock on him. Enraged by this defiance of his leadership, he beast called to the other Sharpteeth and they chased after Petrie. Of course they were unable to reach the small Flyer, no matter how high they jumped. During this commotion, the others understood that Petrie was trying to make a diversion and took the opportunity to run. However, the Sharpteeth saw them running away and gave chase. Petrie flew after them, trying to peck one of them in the pack. At last, the valley came into view. There were still a good two hundred metres left and the Sharpteeth were gaining. From where he was, Petrie could here Ducky hurrying Spike along like a jockey.

            "Come on Spike! You must run! You must!" she yelled in his ear. Spike looked back for one second and immediately increased his pace, whimpering like a dog. The pack continued to draw closer, but Petrie could finally see that his friends were going to make it. Just as the Sharpteeth lunged for them, they ducked into a small tunnel, leading into the valley. Petrie took to the air, just as the pack hit the wall. He flew through the tunnel himself and found his friends, cheering, giddy with relief. However, this happiness was short lived, for now it was time to think about what to tell Littlefoot's grandparents. 

            "We must tell." Cera said. "They deserve to know."

            "They do." Ducky agreed, sadly. Petrie and Spike nodded in agreement and they set off. However, when they reached Watcher's Hill, they heard two voices, laughing and cheering.

            "Well, looks like **somebody's** having fun tonight." Cera said, bitterly. Petrie flew into the air, listening hard.

            "Wait." he said, as the others, started to leave. "Voices sound familiar!" Curiously, the four dinosaurs ran up the hill and at the top, who should they see, but Littlefoot and Ali, chasing after each other, playfully. For one moment, all Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike could do was stand there, their mouths wide open in shock. An instant later, they ran over to their friends, filled with happiness. Littlefoot and Ali turned to see them coming. 

            "You're alive!" Cera yelled happily.

            "You are, you are!" Ducky added, ecstatic. Petrie hugged them both and Spike licked them. Needless to say, the two Longnecks were very confused by the actions of their friends.

            "What are you guys talking about?" Ali asked, in bewilderment.

            "We thought you dead!" Petrie cawed, flying in circles above their heads. 

            "Why?" Littlefoot asked. It was not until now, that everyone realised how exhausting the day's events had been.

            "We'll explain later." Cera said. "But now, let's play!" And so they did. While the sun started to set, they played as they always used to. Old arguments were forgotten. Littlefoot and Ali both agreed that the matter of the 'Lost Souls' could be resolve another day. Petrie would be angry when that topic was brought for a second time, but this day, that did not matter. All that mattered was that the six of them were alive, healthy and all getting along. For that one evening, Nothing else mattered…

TO BE CONTINUED…


	14. Peace for Now

                                                                                                **Peace…For Now **by megacharizard

While Littlefoot and hid friends played, the sky turned from an icy blue, to a fiery orange, to a jet black. Watcher's Hill was now illuminated by the moon's light rather than the sun. Though they were exhausted by the day behind them, they continued to play together, something they had not done as a whole group since before Pterano arrived. At last, the happy time came to an end when Cera's father's voice rang out over the hill.

"It's time for bed Cera!" he yelled. Cera stopped trying to tag Ducky and looked up. After a few seconds, Ducky's mother could be heard calling her as well.

            "Ducky! Spike!" They started to leave, Petrie with them, agreeing to meet back here again tomorrow after breakfast. As they left, Littlefoot sighed happily. It felt good to finally be able to play with his friends again. All too quickly, it dawned on him that his grandparents had not seen him since yesterday and would now be consumed with worry. _"I've done this bit **too **many times!"_ he thought to himself. Knowing that could not be helped, he made his way home. Ali came with him as he had told her of a very small cave which lay near his nest. Ali could tell by the look on his face that he was worried about what he was going to tell his grandparents. 

            "Don't worry." she said, comfortingly. "Families can get angry at you sometimes but it never lasts." Littlefoot smiled, somewhat weakly but could think of no words to say.

            "Just keep thinking to yourself, '_At least I don't have Cera's dad.'" _she joked. That was enough to get Littlefoot to chuckle a little.

            "Thanks." he said. "Do you have a mantra I can use to feel less worried about what's gonna happen with Petrie tomorrow?" Ali laughed.

            "I've been working on one." she said, feeling lighthearted. "But it's not ready yet." 

            "Keep working then." Littlefoot replied. "I think I'm gonna need it." Soon enough, they reached the nest. Littlefoot showed Ali the way to the cave and bade her goodnight. Now it was time for him do deal with his grandparents. _"At least I don't have Cera's dad. At least I don't have Cera's dad."_ he thought to himself as Ali had instructed. _"Hey! It works!"_

            Meanwhile, Pterano was, yet again, inside the Smoking Mountain, checking up on the fire-water. Since it had started to drop down, he had been in there almost every minute of the day. Had he not wanted to appear inconspicuous, he would have slept there too. Once again, it was still not quite low enough for him to pass through, but there was definitely progress being made. He made his way out of the cave and took to the air, on his way back to his sister's nest. When he arrived, he found Petrie being subjected to his mother's wrathful gaze. Since had not returned home this morning, he found himself in the same predicament as Littlefoot.

            "I was out of my mind with worry!" she was screeching at him. Pterano decided to intervene, feeling sorry for his nephew.

            "Now then. What seems to be the problem?" he asked. 

            "Petrie's sleeping place was stone cold this morning." she began. "He's been gone all day and didn't think to come and see me until now!" Petrie hung his tiny head in shame. Pterano pulled her aside to try and reason with her. Petrie watched them but could hear anything they were saying. Despite being in trouble, he was happy as this was the most attention his uncle had given him in quite a while. Finally, Petrie's mother walked away from Pterano and settled down to sleep. Pterano walked back over to Petrie.

            "There now!" he said warmly. "That's all been dealt with, but from now on, you must make sure to think more about your mother's feelings." 

            "Oh me will uncle. Me will!" he vowed, nodding his head very rapidly. "Thanks." he added, after a thought.

            "That's quite all right Petrie." he replied. "Now I think it is high time that you get that head of yours down for the night." Though he wanted to stay up and talk with Pterano, he suddenly felt drained. He realised now that he had not slept since the night before last. He collapsed to the ground, asleep as soon as his head hit the floor. Wile Petrie slept; Pterano perched at the entrance to the cave. Up here, he grinned, diabolically. _"Soon."_ he thought. _"Soon."_

            Needless to say, Littlefoot, like Petrie, had to suffer his grandparents' tongues when he arrived. But now it was morning and time for him to meet with the others. After a small, quick breakfast, Littlefoot said good bye to his grandma and grandpa and made his way to Ali's cave. They had all agreed to meet at Watcher's Hill, but Littlefoot knew that Ali was not very familiar with the Great Valley's layout and so, he felt it his duty to show her the way. However, when he arrived, he found that Ali had already left. By following her scent, he realised that she had found her way back to Watcher's Hill with no help required and she was now play Hide-and-Seek with Ducky and Spike. She soon noticed Littlefoot and called over to him.

            "Hey! What took you so long?" she asked. Littlefoot smiled and ran over to her. He should have guess that a Wanderer like Ali would easily be able to retrace her footsteps.

            "So how did things go with you grandparents?" she asked, while Ducky continued to search for Spike.

            "Not that well." Littlefoot replied. "But they always have to deal with things like this so I guess they're getting pretty used to it." Ali changed the subject.

            "I've been thinking about talking to the others again about the 'Lost Souls'. I don't want Petrie to get angry again, at least not so soon after we all just got back together again."

            "You're right." Littlefoot agreed. "I've been thinking the same thing myself. We'll have to tell them sooner or later, but I think it can wait for now." Ali nodded and they split up, to make it harder for Ducky to find them. However, they would never know that their hesitation would make things that much harder later. While they played, instead of trying to convince everyone of the truth, the lava inside the Smoking Mountain was dropping ever lower…

            Meanwhile, Petrie had slept in late and now decided to fly around a little and stretch his wings before meeting up with the others. As he flew along, he saw his uncle flying toward the Smoking Mountain. Curious, Petrie followed, wondering what on earth he was doing. Pterano soon landed by the base of the mountain and two Flyers came to meet him. Petrie flew down to Terra Firma and stayed out of sight. Petrie watched as Pterano entered the tunnel with Rax at his side.  As they went in, Petrie, just as Littlefoot had done two days ago, over heard them talking about…the 'Lost Souls'. Petrie was stunned. _"Uncle how could you?"_ he thought. Ever since Ali had first told them about the 'Lost Souls', he had been afraid of it all being true. And now his fears had finally come to light. Paralyzed by his uncle's actions, Petrie did not see a figure creeping up behind him. In an instant, the world went black as Ark clamped his hand over Petrie's eyes and lifted him off the ground. Petrie tried to struggle and scream but it was no use. When he finally saw the light of day again, he saw Pterano staring at him in the face.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	15. Betrayal

                                                **Betrayal** be megacharizard

Oblivious to Petrie's fate, Littlefoot and the others played on, having the time of their lives. It was not until the Bright-Circle touched the top of Shelter Rock, did they realise they were one short of a full group.

            "Where is Petrie?" Cera asked. 

            "Yeah, he should be here by now." Ali said.

            "We all agreed to meet here, first thing. We did." Ducky added.

            "Let's go and see if he's still at home." Littlefoot decided. Everyone agreed and they made their way to the cave. When they arrived, Ducky climbed up to the entrance to ask his mother about her son's whereabouts. 

            "I'm sorry Ducky, but he already left. I'm surprised he didn't meet up with you all." she said, starting to worry.

            "That is alright." Ducky replied cheerfully. "I am sure he just could not find us. I am." With that, she climbed down to the ground to tell the others.

            "Where could he be?" Littlefoot wondered aloud.

            "Maybe Ducky was right." Ali said. "Maybe he just couldn't find us and he's looking for us right now." Cera was sceptical. 

            "We agreed to meet at Watcher's Hill last night." She said. "You think he forgot?" 

            "Well…maybe. Or perhaps he's hurt himself and-"

            "Oh no, no, no, no, no!" Ducky cried in horror, interrupting Ali. "Do you really think he might be hurt?"

            "It's possible." Ali replied.

            "Well, we won't know unless we find him." Littlefoot stated. "Let's split up and look for him and we'll meet at Peace-Keeper's Ledge when the Bright-Circle touches Threehorn Peak." Everyone nodded and they set off, each in a different direction.

            Littlefoot took his search near to the Thundering-Falls. Ali looked around Two Boulder-Pass and Cera checked the place where the New-Water had once been. Together, Ducky and Spike looked around the Sinking-Sands, thinking Petrie might be in the Sheltering-Grass. However, when they reached the tar pit, Ducky started to have second thoughts about going across. The last time they tried to do that, they nearly died and ended up being punished by their parents. However, that had been a long time ago, even before Chomper had hatched. So, she took a deep breath and took her place on Spike's back.

            "Okay Spike." she said. "The last time we tried this, it did not work. No, no, no. But you are bigger now and I know you can make it this time. You can." Spike, encouraged by Ducky's words, took a long run up, and jumped off the edge and just landed on the nearest rock. He continued to jump from rock to rock, sometimes slipping, but never falling in. As he made his way over, Ducky became more and more relaxed. 

            "You are doing it Spike! You are! Yep, yep, yep!" she cried, cheerfully. At last, Spike reached the other side and stopped to rest. This rest quickly became a light nap and Ducky decided to search for Petrie alone rather than wake Spike up. She combed the grass as quickly as she could, wanting to move on. Eventually, she had looked through the entire area and decided to give up and search elsewhere. She returned to Spike, who was still out for the count. She sighed in annoyance. Waking Spike up had never been an easy task, so she decided to try a new approach. She picked up a small pebble lying nearby and brought it down on Spike's head, repeatedly. It took quite a few beatings, but at long last, he opened his eyes and stood up, completely oblivious to the rock's effect. Ducky sighed and threw the pebble away. She realised that Spike had woken up of his own accord and she may as well of not bothered trying in the first place.

            "Petrie is not here Spike, no, no, no. Let us look in some other place." she said. With that, Spike, once again, started to jump from rock to rock. However, Ducky, who had been disheartened by not finding Petrie, was not holding on tightly. As Spike took and exceptionally large jump, Ducky slipped off his back and fell toward the tar below…

            Littlefoot, Ali and Cera had all met up together with no news of Petrie's whereabouts.

            "Where is he?" Cera cried out, in frustration. Before anyone could answer, screams reached their ears.

            "Who is that?" Littlefoot asked. They stopped for a moment, to listen. Then, Ali gasped.

            "It's Ducky! She's in trouble!" she exclaimed. 

            "Come on!" Cera yelled. "Let's go see what's wrong!" The three of them were away like a shot, hoping Ducky was alright…

            Meanwhile, Petrie had been discovered by Ark and was being confronted by Pterano.

            "Petrie, I can explain." he began. But Petrie interrupted before he had a chance to go on.

            "Why you do this again Uncle?" he asked, close to tears. "Why you want power so bad?" Pterano sighed.

            "This is not about power Petrie." He said. "This is about giving help to those who need it." Pterano told him about the legend of the "Lost Souls", leaving out the part about the Souls granting their saviour with awesome powers. Petrie listened intently, having forgotten what Ali had told him before.

            "So you see Petrie, I am doing this to save the "Lost Souls". This is for no personal gain. I'm just trying to help." He finished. Sadly, Petrie was a Flyer who was very easily led. As Pterano went on and on, Petrie started to believe him. 

            "Me believe you Uncle." Petrie said, earnestly when Pterano had told him everything. "Me want to help as well." Pterano grinned.

            "Thank you Petrie." he said. "I need all the help I can get."

            "Then me get friends to help Uncle too!" Petrie squawked, excitedly.

            "No Petrie!" Pterano snapped. Then his voice returned to normal. "I'm sorry, but we cannot trust Land-Walkers to help us, be they friend or foe." Petrie was confused.

            "But me have Land-Walker friends and me can trust them." Petrie said. Pterano nodded.

            "Of course you can, usually. But when it comes to and Land-Walker helping out a Flyer, old friendships are forgotten. Don't forget, Land-Walkers are the ones who stole the souls of the Flyers in the past to begin with." Again, Petrie was taken in by everyone of Pterano's lies. While he still liked his friends, he was now sure that he could not trust them.

            "You right Uncle." he said. "Friends not to be trusted. We can do this without them anyway." 

            "That's right Petrie. Now remember, never tell anyone, not even your mother, about what we are doing. No-one will believe that we are doing this for good. The Land-Walkers hate us you know. They are jealous of our abilities. We can fly high, while all they can do is watch from below." his voice became a whisper. "Don't trust any of them." For one moment, Petrie was about to protest. But once again, he was fooled by Pterano's words…

TO BE CONTINUED…


	16. Rescue Mission

                                                            **Rescue Mission** by megacharizard

At last, Littlefoot, Cera and Ali reached the Sinking-Sands. They could easily see Spike trying to fish Ducky out of the black liquid. However, she was thrashing about so much; he was unable to get a hold of her.

            "No! No, not again!" Littlefoot cried in frustration.

            "Again?" Ali echoed, not knowing about the previous Sinking-Sands incident.

            "I'll tell you some other time! We have to help Spike get her out!" Littlefoot replied. Ali and Cera nodded. They started to jump from rock to rock, just as Spike had done, moments ago. Soon enough, they reached the large rock Spike was on. Instantly, they all started to bob their heads down into the murky lake, trying to grab Ducky. It was impossible to see underneath the surface and they constantly had to come up for air again. Although Littlefoot and Ali had an advantage due to their long necks, they had no more luck than Cera or Spike.

            "What are we gonna do?" Cera cried. Ali looked over to the Sheltering-Grass and had an idea.

            "Keep trying to get her out!" she told the others. "I'll be back in a moment!" she made her way over to the grass and frantically started to search around for something.

            "What's she doing?" Cera cried in exasperation.

            "I'm sure we'll find out soon enough!" Littlefoot replied. "Now you heard her! We have to keep trying!" With that, he took a deep breath and plunged his head under the surface again. Cera looked at Ali. Time was running out…

            At the same time, Pterano showed Petrie how they would get into the cave. The four Flyers entered the cave and travelled through the lava tunnel until they could go no further.

            "As you can see, the fire-water is very low now and we shall soon be able to get to the entrance and clear away the last of those rocks by tomorrow Petrie." Pterano explained. Petrie nodded happily.

            "And then we free 'Lost Souls'!" he cheered. Pterano smiled to see his nephew so happy. But Ark was about to spoil the moment.

            "It took just one earthshake to completely block off the entrance." he said. "What if it's been blocked again by all those earthshakes we had recently?" 

            "We shouldn't have to worry about that possibility until we see if that has happened or not." Rax answered. Pterano nodded.

            "He is right. We cannot allow our morale to drop over something which could be nothing at all." he declared, though secretly, he was now worried. 

            "Maybe there another way in!" suggested Petrie. Pterano shook his head.

            "There is one other way through the river." he said. "But we would have to make our way through a tunnel filled with water and our kind is not built for swimming." Petrie was downcast.       

            "Too bad Ducky no can help." he said, sadly. Pterano lifted Petrie's beak with his finger.

            "Don't worry." he said, kindly. "We will get through soon enough." Petrie nodded, with a face of determination.

            "Yes." he agreed. "We will." Ark and Rax chuckled silently behind them…

            Back at the Sinking-Sands, Ali finally returned to the others. She was holding a large tree branch in her mouth. She tapped Littlefoot on the back with it. He rose out of the tar and gasped for breath. 

            "How's that gonna help?" he asked. Ali dropped the branch on the rock 

            "We can lower this over the sand and Ducky can grab onto it. Then we can pull her out. It won't stir the sand as much as our heads do so we should be able to see her easily." she explained. The others nodded and they started move the branch into the liquid. "Grab the branch Ducky!" Cera cried.

            "Come on!" Ali encouraged.

            "You can do it!" Littlefoot added. Ducky, who could finally surface now the others were no longer thrashing around in the tar, made a lunge for it. Everyone drew in breath sharply as she reached out. She missed the first time and went under. But she resurfaced and tried again. This time, she just made it. Immediately, the others grabbed the branch in their jaws and pulled it out with Ducky clinging on to the end. They set her down on rock and Spike, whining like a dog, licked her again and again. Half laughing, half coughing, she pushed him away affectionately. 

            "Are you okay?" Littlefoot asked. An exhausted Ducky nodded her head slowly, too tired to speak. Everyone sighed in relief.

            "You better take Ducky home to rest Spike." Littlefoot said. 

            "We'll keep looking for Petrie in the meantime." Ali agreed.

            "I guess we'll meet you tomorrow, same time, same place." Cera added. Spike nodded and, holding Ducky gently in his jaws hopped back to dry land and headed for home. Littlefoot Ali and Cera jumped back to the edge as well. It was almost noon so they each decided to head back to their homes for lunch. Ali went with Littlefoot, not having a family nearby to go to.

            "There's nothing like rescuing a friend from the jaws of death to wake you up in the morning." she said, trying to laugh about the danger Ducky had just been in.

            "I think I would choose a dip in an ice-cold river to wake me up instead any day." Littlefoot replied, smiling weakly.

            "We never did find Petrie." Ali said, a little downcast.

            "Well there's always tomorrow." Littlefoot said, trying to be optimistic. "Maybe he just felt like being alone and he'll tell us tomorrow." 

            "Maybe." Ali replied. She decided to change the subject. "What did you mean by saying 'not again' when we saw Ducky in that tar pit?" Littlefoot had never had the time to tell Ali about all the adventures he had been through before, and after they had met. So he began with how he had been faced with the task of seeking out the Great Valley. It was a time of relative peace for the dinosaurs now. Although they could not find Petrie, they took time to relax, not knowing that they had been betrayed…

            Petrie returned home with his uncle. When they arrived, Petrie's mother came to speak to him. 

            "Ducky was here looking for you earlier, Petrie." she said. "Have you been out looking for them?" It was not until now that Petrie realised he had forsaken his friends, in spite of promising to meet up with them. 

            "Me was looking for them Mama." he lied. "Me no find them yet, but me look again after lunch." So they all settled down to enjoy a peaceful meal together. _"Me just hope others no get mad at Petrie later."_ he thought to himself as he chewed on a treestar. Pterano looked at his nephew. _"Do not betray **me **Petrie." _he thought silently…

TO BE CONTINUED…


	17. Lies and Mistrust

                                                                        **Lies and Mistrust** by megacharizard

After lunch was over, Petrie wanted to go out and find his friends to apologies for not meeting up with them before. After reassuring Pterano that he was just doing this to look normal so his friends would not grow suspicious, he took flight and began his search. He went to Watcher's Hill first, but of course, he found nobody there. As he flew, he thought more about the 'Lost Souls'. When he had had woken up this morning, everything had been perfectly normal. Now, he found himself faced with a daunting mission. On one hand, he felt overwhelmed. However, he was also excited to be helping the 'Lost Souls' and he would be spending time with his uncle while doing so. Now feeling more optimistic about his task, he turned his attention to finding his friends. He did not bother looking by their homes because he was sure they would have finished lunch by now. Had he known that they had all worked up a serious appetite while rescuing Ducky, he could have found them by now.

            After Littlefoot had eaten with his Grandparents, he bade them goodbye and headed out for the cave Ali was using to sleep in. As he squeezed through the bushes, he saw Pterano, flying with Rax and Ark, over to the Smoking Mountain. He knew he would have to tell the others about the 'Lost Souls' sooner or later. But he had already decided it could wait a day or two. When he reached the cave, Ali was there to greet him.

            "Ready to go?" he asked, running up to her.

            "You bet!" she replied, smiling. Before he was ready, she slapped him on the back and with a cry of 'tag'; she sprinted off to Watcher's Hill, with Littlefoot in pursuit.  

            Soon enough, Pterano reached the Smoking Mountain. He made his way inside, with bated breath. If he had worked it all out correctly, then this would be the day when the lava would have completely receded, leaving the entrance open. He just hoped that Ark had been wrong about recent earthquakes causing the tunnel to cave in. As he turned the final corner, he gasped to see that his worst fears had been confirmed. The entire tunnel was filled with rocks. It would take forever to move them. Pterano let out a scream of rage. Once again, Littlefoot and his friends had unknowingly gained some time…

            Ali soon reached Watcher's Hill and paused to catch her breath. She could the bushes rustling as Littlefoot was trying to catch up and tag her back. She smiled to herself and quickly behind some rocks. After a few minutes, Littlefoot burst out of the forest, gasping for breath. All of a sudden, Petrie dropped out of the air like a speeding bullet, landing directly in front of the exhausted, and now startled, Longneck. 

            "Don't do that Petrie!" he cried. "You almost stopped my heart beating!" Ali came out of her hiding place, glad to finally see the Flyer had appeared.

            "Where were you this morning?" she asked. Petrie gulped. He had never been much good at lying to his friends.

            "Well…me was just…errrm…uhhh…uumm…oh! Me came here early morning to wait for friends!" he began, after finally thinking of a reason. "But me came too early so friends never showed up so me thought me would go and fly around and try again after lunch!" Both Longnecks were slightly suspicious of Petrie's hesitation to answer, but they shrugged it off and they all started to play, while they waited for Cera to show up. Eventually, she appeared and Petrie had to once again explain why he had not been around in the morning. He had to explain again when Ducky and Spike arrived.

            "What are you doing here, Ducky?" Cera asked surprised to see her after what had happened at the Sinking-Sands.

            "Yeah, you should be at home, resting." Ali said, concerned.

            "That is alright." Ducky replied cheerfully. "I am feeling much better. I am I am." Petrie was confused.

            "What going on?" he asked. Littlefoot explained to him and he immediately felt guilty as Ducky had been looking for**him** when she had fallen into the tar.

            "Me so sorry!" he cried. "If me had been with friends earlier, this would not have happened!" Everyone was slightly taken aback by his sudden outburst. After all, it had not been his fault that he had not been with them earlier. Or so they thought.

            "Do not worry Petrie." Ducky reassured him. "I am okay, so there is nothing to be sorry about. There is not." Petrie was about to reply, but just then, Pterano flew down from the sky, wanting Petrie to see the situation at the Smoking Mountain. 

            "Ah! There you are Petrie." he greeted him. "I am deeply sorry to interrupt, but there is something you must see." he gave a small surreptitious wink to let Petrie know what this was about.

            "Okay uncle." Petrie said, taking the hint. "Me see you guys later!" with that, he flew off with Pterano and headed off toward the Smoking Mountain. So it seemed that the six friends had been reunited for a total of three minutes. They continued to play, waiting for Petrie to return. During their games, Littlefoot pulled Ali aside.

            "I don't think we can put this off any longer." he said. "We have to tell them about the 'Lost Souls' and without Petrie here, this seems like the best time." 

            "You're right." Ali agreed. "They need to know now." So they gather their friends together and built up their courage. 

            "What do you?" Cera asked, annoyed because she had been winning the game until Littlefoot and Ali had interrupted. 

            "Well, we kinda need to tell you guys something." Littlefoot began…

            All four Flyers had arrived at the Smoking Mountain and Pterano showed them what had happened to the lava tunnel.

            "As you can see, our very worst fear had come to light." he said. "It will take us a long time to break through these walls so we better get started." As they began to move rocks, Rax decided to have a word with Pterano in secret.

            "You really think we can trust that nephew of yours?" he asked. Pterano was surprised by this question. 

            "What makes you say that?" 

            "Well if you remember, he was against you during the 'Stone of Cold Fire' incident." he replied. Pterano looked at his nephew who was trying to shift some of the smaller rocks. _"Can I trust him?"_ he wondered…

TO BE CONTINUED…


	18. Setback

                                                                                     **Setback **by megacharizard

Ali now found herself faced with the challenge of trying to convince her friends of the truth about Pterano and the 'Lost Souls'. Though Littlefoot would now be backing her up and Petrie was not there to get worked up about accusations made about his uncle, she did not feel very enthusiastic about the idea. The two Longnecks had stopped the game they had all been playing and prepared to break the news to them. 

            "We kinda need to tell you guys something." Littlefoot began.

            "Well spit it out already!" Cera snapped, slightly agitated by their hesitance. Ali took a deep breath and prepared to tell them.

            "Do you guys remember what I told you about Pterano that night when I returned to the valley?" she asked. None of them had really thought about it since then, but they did recall parts of the story.

            "Yeah, what about it?" Cera asked, still skeptical about the legend. Littlefoot cut in.

            "You remember how you didn't believe it?" he asked. They all nodded their heads. "Well I didn't believe it either. That is until I overheard Pterano talking to some Flyers about it." he paused to see their reactions. Both Cera and Ducky were surprised (Spike had fallen asleep) but let Littlefoot continue. "This doesn't prove whether the legend is real or not, but Pterano is dangerous. I've seen him hanging around the Smoking Mountain a lot. If he thinks the 'Lost Souls' are nearby, things could get dangerous. You all remember what happened at Three-horn Peak." Neither Cera nor Ducky could think of anything to say at first. Finally Cera spoke up.

            "You're all crazy." she said, dismissively. "None of it's real. The Stone of Cold Fire wasn't real so why should we believe this?" Littlefoot sighed. Cera was missing the point.

            "The power doesn't have to be real." Ali said. "One way or another, Pterano will go to any lengths to get to the cave and that means he will hurt people if he has to." Just as she had done the time before, Cera walked away, not wanting to hear anything else. _"Here we go again."_ Ali thought to herself. She and Littlefoot looked at Ducky.

            "What do you?" Littlefoot asked her. 

            "Well, I did not think Petrie's uncle could still be so mean the last time I herd it." Ducky began. "But if you **both** say it is true, I do not know what to believe. No, no, no." 

            "Pterano didn't learn his lesson last time." Littlefoot said. "He still believes magic is the only way for others to like him and respect him." 

            "But why?" asked Ducky.

            "Some dinosaurs never learn." Ali replied simply. Ducky sighed and nodded.

            "I guess I believe you. I do." she said. Littlefoot and Ali smiled at each other. It was good to have three on their side. Well four, if you counted Spike. Now the real challenge was convincing Cera and Petrie…

            Deep in the tunnels of the Smoking Mountain, the four Flyers were still trying to shift rocks. The cave-ins had been a lot worse than they had originally thought. As they worked, Pterano continued to ponder the loyalties of his nephew. The injustice that he should suspect his own flesh and blood, who was also working the hardest at shifting the rocks, without any evidence was unthinkable. Neither Rax nor Ark trusted him either and did not make an effort to be friendly to him. Petrie did not mind that much. He didn't really like them either. Pterano felt he needed to discuss the matter with Ark and Rax in private and called Petrie over to him.

            "Maybe you should spend a little more time with your friends, just allay any suspicions, my young nephew." he suggested, hoping this would keep him out of the way. Petrie agreed immediately. As happy as he was to be helping Pterano in doing something he thought was noble and worthwhile, he missed his friends deeply. As Petrie flew away, Pterano turned to his friends.

            "I don't know how much longer we can keep him convinced." he said to them. "Although he does not suspect anything as of yet, we must double our efforts and bring down those walls!" Rax and Ark merely nodded in exhaustion. Pterano's bossiness was beginning to get them down. They went back to work, wondering is this slavery would ever end and if they ever would reach the 'Lost Souls'…

            For the next week, not much changed. Cera still played with the others, despite not believing a word they had said, Petrie spent more time with his friends, preventing the idea of betrayal from ever entering their minds, and Littlefoot, Ali, Ducky and Spike came no closer to finding a way to stop Pterano. As their games went on, Littlefoot, Ali and Ducky reflected on their biggest problem; they had no idea of how to get to the 'Lost Souls'. If they could only figure that out, they could end their problems right now. But right now, a new problem was to emerge…

            Seven days after Ducky had been convinced of the legend, Littlefoot awoke unnaturally early. The Sun was still absent from the sky and would not yet appear for another hour or two. Rather than return to sleep, Littlefoot rose to his feet, stretched and decided to take a walk while waiting for sunrise. Fairly soon, he reached the mountainous region of the valley. While walking through the rocky paths, he, by chance, happened to glance through a small hole in the Great Wall into the Mysterious Beyond. Though it was a land filled with dangers, just the sight of it was able to fill him with awe. As he looked down to the sandy deserts below, he noticed a herd of Longnecks, making their way toward the valley. As they came closer, his expression changed to one of horror as he recognised the leader of the herd. It was Ali's herd. They were approaching the valley and her mother was at the front of the herd, alongside the Old One. Undoubtedly, Ali's mother had followed the trail of her wayward daughter here and now the entire herd was coming to reclaim her. Littlefoot was shaken. When Ali had told him that she had left her herd to warn him about Pterano, he assumed she would stay in the valley forevermore. But now, he would have to say goodbye to her…again.

            Sadly, Littlefoot trudged back home to his nest. Seeing the herd arrive had drained him of all his energy. How ironic that he should have been waiting all these years to see that one herd return, but when it finally did, it was the last thing he wanted to see. He reached his nest and drifted off to sleep, deciding to tell Ali the "good" news later. He did not know how this "quest" of the 'Lost Souls' would end, but he always thought Ali would be there with him when it did. He had hoped that one day; they could have been mates and raised a family together. But that was no longer a possibility. There was one thing that Littlefoot did know for sure; he would miss Ali dearly…

            When sunrise took place, Ali awoke in her cave, ready to face another day. She wondered if there was going to be any development in their plan to stop Pterano today, but these thoughts were interrupted when a very downcast, though he tried not to show it, Littlefoot entered the cave to greet her.

            "Hey Littlefoot!" she said cheerfully, bouncing around with energy. "What do you want to do today?" Littlefoot smiled sadly. "What's wrong?" Ali asked, confused by her friend's silence. Littlefoot knew he had to tell her about the herd. She deserved to know and if anything, he would have to be happy for her, seeing as she had never expected to see any of them again. 

            "I've got good news." he said, trying to sound cheerful, yet failing miserably.

            "Well, what is it?" Ali asked, wondering what was taking him so long to spit it out. Littlefoot took a deep breath and put on smile.

            "I was out walking earlier this morning and…I saw…your herd." he said, struggling to get the words out. "They're coming to the valley. For you."  Ali's first reaction was one of happiness. Seeing the look of joy on her face depressed Littlefoot even more. Ali had not expected to see her herd again so quickly. After less than two weeks of staying in the same place, she would be able to migrate again. Then, the full realisation hit her. She would be leaving again. And who knows when she would see Littlefoot again. She tired to remain happy.

            "That's great." she said. "That's really great. Just make sure you take care of this whole 'Lost Souls' thing, huh?" They both smiled sadly. "I'm gonna miss you." she added.

            "I'll miss you too." Littlefoot replied. With that, they left the cave and made their way to the Meeting Place, where the herd would soon be arriving…

TO BE CONTINUED…


	19. Farewell

                                                                                    **Farewell** by megacharizard

Littlefoot and Ali made their way to the Meeting-Place where Ali's herd would soon be arriving. Littlefoot tried to be happy for her, yet he found the task increasingly difficult as they went on. Ali was sad to be leaving her friends again, but at the same time, she was excited to be seeing her mother again, though she tried not to show it in front of Littlefoot. Not that it mattered. He was able to guess anyway. As twilight illuminated the valley, they could hear the sound of the herd arriving. Ali wanted to reunite with mother right away. And now, it was time.

            "I guess this is it." she said, smiling sadly. "You'll say goodbye to the others for me when they wake up, won't you?" Littlefoot nodded, wearing the same unhappy grin.

            "Of course I will." he said. "You better get going." He nuzzled her shyly.

            "Be careful when you try to stop Pterano. I know you can do it." she warned him. Littlefoot nodded again. By now, the herd was almost in sight and it was time for the final farewell.

            "Goodbye Littlefoot." Ali whispered, starting to move a way to the group of Longnecks nearby.

            "Goodbye Ali." he replied. She gave him an affectionate lick and, with that, she turned away from him, and ran off, ready to rejoin her family…

            Just before she reached them, Ali turned back to see Littlefoot walking away, back to his nest. She sighed and walked down to the herd, trying to spot her mother within. It did not take her long to do so. She ran down the small slope toward the group, calling to her mother excitedly.

            "Mother!" she cried. "I'm over here! Mother!" Ali's mother turned her great head to see a sight that filled her aging heart with happiness and her tired eyes with tears of rejoice. Her daughter ran down the hill, just as the Bright-Circle's light crept over the top of the Great Wall.

            "Ali!" she called back, overjoyed. "Is that really you?" Mother and daughter ran toward each other and met in the middle. The other members watched as the larger Longneck nuzzled the smaller. From the edge of the forest, Littlefoot watched the reunion. He was happy for his friend, yet he could not help but feel a small stab of jealousy that Ali should be able to share happiness with her mother while he had nothing but two grandparents who would not live much longer. However, he banished these thoughts from his mind, knowing it was not fair to Ali for him to feel like this. After all, it was not her fault and, in any case, he knew he should not be so bitter about it anyway. But as the herd left the valley, eager to return to their wandering trail, Littlefoot was unable to stop a few tear from escaping his eyes…

            It had been a few hours since Ali's departure and a depressed Littlefoot was now waiting for his friends to wake up and meet with him here at Shelter Rock. The last time Ali had left; Littlefoot had not been depressed for long because he was so relieved to see his grandpa standing again. But this, he had no distractions. Not only that, but Ali had also stayed for a lot longer than she had the last time and he had thought she would stay for ever. At last, he saw Petrie flying over the hills, heading toward him. 

            "Hey, Petrie!" Littlefoot greeted him, once the Flyer had landed. "Nice to see you." Petrie approached with a very nervous look on his face. "What's wrong?" Littlefoot asked.

            "Well…me…can't play today." he said, having decided to help his uncle at the Smoking Mountain. "Me just came to tell. Bye!"

            "Petrie, wait!" Littlefoot stopped him. Petrie could detect urgency in his voice and wondered what was wrong.

            "What the matter?" he asked.

            "I have some bad news, so could you just wait for the others to show up?" Littlefoot asked. Petrie sighed in annoyance, but he nodded in agreement. Soon enough, Cera, Ducky and Spike arrived together, having met up on the way. 

            "Hey guys!" Cera called to them, not noticing their somewhat less-than-happy-faces at first. But then she caught sight of them and realised all was not well. "Something wrong?"

            "Kinda." Littlefoot said. "I have something to tell you guys."

            "Should we not wait for Ali?" Ducky asked.

            "That's just it." Littlefoot replied. "Her herd came to collect her earlier this morning and she had to leave." Everyone was shocked by the news. To have their friend leave was one thing. But for her to leave without them getting to say goodbye was terrible.

            "And she couldn't even stop to say goodbye?" Cera asked, feeling a little betrayed.

            "There wasn't time." Littlefoot explained. "She didn't want the grown-ups of the valley to know that she had come here alone and the herd was impatient to get back on the trail again, so they had to leave right away. She did say she'll miss all of you though." This was hardly any consolation as the group, back down to five now sat there, wondering when they would meet their friend again…

            Littlefoot and the others decided to spend the day apart. Petrie went to help Pterano, Cera and Ducky decided to play together, Spike went back to sleep and Littlefoot wanted to be alone with his thoughts. _"Everything seemed so perfect yesterday."_ he thought to himself as he climbed up the slope leading to Peace-Keeper's Ledge. _"Even this thing with the 'Lost Souls' wasn't so bad. But now Ali's gone, I just feel depressed and exhausted."_ Littlefoot never felt tired when he played with his friends. But whenever he was alone just after he had had to say goodbye to friend, he felt drained. _"What do I do now?"_ he wondered, looking out to the Bright Circle as its light was slowly masked by the clouds around it…

            Out in the Mysterious Beyond, Ali's herd continued onward. As they walked, Ali explained to her mother that she had simply been separated from the herd by a pack of Sharpteeth. Having narrowly escaped them, she had found herself close by to the Great Valley and had decided to stay there until the herd returned. Her mother was horrified for her young daughter's safety when she heard the part about the Sharpteeth and was now even more relieved to have her back safe and sound. 

            "I'm just glad to see you safe and sound again." her mother said, nuzzling her daughter tenderly. Ali welcomed this affectionate gesture. Something she had not been able to do for nearly two weeks now.

            "And I'm glad to be back with you and the others, mother." Ali said. But as they walked onward, she could not help but feel a little homesick for the home that was not hers…

TO BE CONTINUED…


	20. The Danger of Water

                                                            **The Danger of Water** by megacharizard

A month passed, following on from Ali's departure. Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike did not see much of each other for the first few days. But time always has move on, even when we do not want it to. As the days turned into weeks, Petrie started to spend more time with his friends again and Littlefoot, Ducky and Spike started to forget all about the 'Lost Souls'. It seemed things had returned to the ways they once were. But the peace they had experienced was not to last…

            Ali's heard had put some considerable distance between the valley and themselves in the last four weeks. It had not taken Ali long to return to her old, familiar lifestyle and, as time went on, she began to miss her friends less. One night, the herd was sleeping in a large forest. Though the children slept, the elders were awake and continued to talk through the night. Ali was also awake, though trying to settle down. All of a sudden, she overheard the adults talking about the 'Lost Souls', Pterano and the Great Valley. Getting the feeling of déjà vu, she sneaked over to them and listened into to the conversation. 

            "Do you Pterano could actually get to the 'Lost Souls'" one of them was asking. 

            "I doubt it." Another replied. "It's almost impossible to get through either entrance. Pterano will try to get through. But he'll give up eventually." Ali stopped listening for a moment. _"So there are **two **waysinto the cave."_ she thought. _"I wonder if the grown-ups know where they are."_ She continued to listen and though they did not speak of the entrances, she was sure that they knew where they were. If she could just figure out their locations and find some way to send a message to Littlefoot, it would be a big help to him and Ducky. Eventually, the adults started to settle down. Knowing that she was not going to discover anything more tonight, Ali returned to her sleeping place, planning to ask her mother about the entrances soon enough. She would have to pretend she was just curious or something, in order to allay any suspicion. With that settled, she soon fell asleep, wondering what tomorrow would bring…

            Things were not going well for Pterano. Since the tunnel had caved in again and again, thanks to the recent earthquakes, he and the others Flyers had taken too long to dig through, and now the lava was starting to rise for the second time, sealing off the cave once again. Barely able to control his temper, Pterano ranted on for the good part of an hour about how the forces of nature were working against him. 

            "Perhaps it would be better to get in by the tunnel in the river." Ark whispered to Rax while Pterano continued on, oblivious to all.

            "You would think." Rax replied. "But you know it's impossible for our kind to travel through water. It would take us too long to reach the tunnel and we would drown. We're just going to have to wait for the fire-water to sink" Ark knew all of this, but he was so tired of waiting around, he was ready to throw caution to the wind. _"I've had enough of this."_ he thought to himself. _"Forget Pterano, I'm going to go down that tunnel tonight and claim the power for myself!"_

That night, Ark made his way to the Thundering Falls and followed the river downstream until he was near the Smoking Mountain. He stared into the inky black waters, trying to catch a glimpse of the tunnel through the shadows. At first, he could see nothing. But then, winds pushed the clouds away from the sky and the Great Night Circle illuminated the valley. Now, Ark was able to see tunnel clearly. He took a deep breath, and plunged into the waters. The river was fairly swift and he found it difficult to fight the current. He struck out for the hole and only just managed to grab the side. He then pulled himself into the hole, too absorbed with achieving ultimate power to think about his burning lungs. The fool should have surfaced to breath. But he did not. He tried to pull himself down through the tunnel. But now he was starting to feel the lack of oxygen. He decided to go back. He tried to turn around, but the tunnel was too narrow. Panicking now, he tried to push himself backward. However, his panic kept him from thinking straight. Unable to hold his breath any longer, he opened his beak and breathed in deeply, only to draw water into his lungs. He started to choke and let go of the sides of the tunnel. As he started to float further and further away from his goal, he felt his life ebbing away from him. The water carried his now lifeless body out of the tunnel, along the river and out of the Great Valley. He had been foolish. And it was that same foolishness which lost Pterano an ally…

            The next morning, Ali attempted to get the information she needed following on from breakfast. As the herd was continuing to move through the forest, she spoke to her mother.

            "Mother?" she asked. "Do you believe in the legend of the 'Lost Souls'?"  Her mother naturally was confused and wondered what could prompt her daughter to ask her this question.

            "Why do you ask?" she replied.

            "The legend is kinda interesting but I don't know that much about it?" she replied. This was enough to satisfy her mother's suspicions.

            "Well, I do believe in the legend," she answered, "just as most of the herd do. What exactly would you like to know about it?" Ali asked her a few questions other than the whereabouts of the entrances first, just to appear inconspicuous. She asked about the story behind the legend and what sort of power the 'Lost Souls' would bring. Then she came to the real thing.

            "Also," she continued, "how exactly would someone get into the cave?" Luckily, her mother saw no threat in telling Ali this and so she happily answered the question.

            "Well dear," she began, "it is said that there are two ways into the cave. The path of fire and the path of water. There is a Smoking Mountain in the valley and the path of fire is said to be inside it. It is a small tunnel which leads from the base of the mountain, straight into the cave." Ali nodded. That was one.

            "And the path of water?" she asked.

            "The path of water is a tunnel that leads in from a river that flows through the very middle of the valley. Both entrances are very difficult and very dangerous to get through." Ali asked a few more questions about the legend and finally dropped the subject. Soon enough, the herd stopped for a break near a small pond. Ali went off by herself for a bit to think about the information her mother had given her. It was certainly a step in the right direction, but there was no point in knowing unless she could find some way of telling either Littlefoot or Ducky. Still, it was definitely a start. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a scream came from the direction of the herd. Ali ran through the trees to see a pack of Sharpteeth attacking the herd. Before she could run away, she found one raptor behind her, blocking off any chance of escape…

            In the Great Valley Pterano had returned to the Smoking Mountain with Rax and even Petrie for once. They were going to try and think of a way to dig trough the rocks faster. Otherwise, it would take many rises and falls of the lava for them to get through. It was not long before they started to wonder where Ark was. 

            "What take him so long?" Petrie wondered aloud. Rax remembered what Ark had said the day before. He doubted that Ark had actually gone through with it, but now he decided to tell the others.

            "Ark said something last night about going down the water tunnel by himself." he said. "I didn't think he was serious, but he was getting tired of waiting for the fire-water to drop." 

            "No!" Pterano protested. "He could not have been so stupid! He knows how dangerous water is to us! He wouldn't dare try to go thought the river entrance!" Rax shook his head sadly, now certain that his friend was dead.

            "You didn't know him as well as I do." he sad. "Ark always was impatient and never one to take a warning too seriously." There was silence for a moment as the three Flyers wondered what to do. Two Clubtails walked by. As they walked, they over heard them talking to each other.

            "-that's right." one of them was saying. "I saw it with my own eyes." The other shook its head in disbelief.

            "You saw a Flyer diving into the river last night? I don't believe it for a second!"  

            "I'm telling you, I saw it with my own…" By now, they had walked out of earshot of Petrie and the others but they had heard all they needed to know. They each bowed their heads in mourning for their companion.

            "Alas, Ark has been taken from us." Pterano said, like a minister conducting a funeral. "We will never forget how he lost his life in a brave attempt to release the 'Lost Souls' from their imprisonment. And when we do free them, I am confident that they will show their gratitude for what he did." Though Pterano was obsessed with magic and power, he did have a heart. As the Flyers gave their last respects to Ark, he shed tears just as Rax and Petrie did…

TO BE CONTINUED…


	21. A Message from the Mysterious Beyond

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**A Message from the Mysterious Beyond** by megacharizard

Before Ali even had time to blink, the raptor leapt into the air, claws brandished. One second later, the tail of one of the herd's Longnecks smashed into the beast, knocking it aside. Ali took this opportunity to run. As she zipped through the tees, she looked back to see four of the savage predators chasing after her. Determined to get away, she decided to try and weave in and out of the trees to confuse her pursuers and tie them up in knots. Being smaller than them, she would get through easily, while they would be slower than Clubtails. They would be separated and, in the time it would take them to regroup, she could easily gain enough distance to find a river which she could run along so there would be no scent to follow. She would then stand a fair chance of losing them for good. This would not be easy…   

            Running through the trees, Ali turned her head back to see if the Sharpteeth were still after her. They were. She slowed down a little to allow them to get draw closer. Her heart pounding uncontrollably, she saw a low branch up ahead. She ducked underneath it as she ran past, while the raptors behind smashed straight into the rotting wood, winding themselves. With some of the lead raptors down, the rest spread out, attempting to overtake Ali and ultimately surround her. Looking around her, she saw some Sharpteeth trip over roots and stones. Ahead of her was a large, thick clump of trees. If she could get them all tangled up inside, she could probably lose them all. But, in order to make sure that they would follow her in, rather than skirt around it, they would have to be right behind her. For that to be possible, she would have to slow down to make sure they caught up. Her heart pounding horribly against her chest, she reached the thicket and came to a halt. She turned back to see the pack closing. They were almost on top of her when she finally gave into instinct and leapt into the copse. Belly to the ground, she scrabbled frantically across the forest floor, zigzagging through the trees. Behind her, she heard the screeches and hisses which came from the pack's annoyance and frustration. At last, she saw the end of the thicket approaching. She was just about to burst free, when a Sharptooth lunged at her through the tangled vines, wrapped around him like the coils of a deep sea creature. She ducked underneath, as the beast was held back…yet she did not escape unscathed. As he saw his quarry escaping, he slashed a claw at her, catching her on the right hind leg, just grazing the muscle. Screaming in pain, Ali stumbled and slipped down a small slope. The Sharpteeth eventually freed themselves from the tree's grasp and headed back toward Ali's herd, having given up on her. Not knowing it, Ali had had an incredibly lucky escape. Standing up, she tried to put weight on her injured leg, only to have it give way immediately. Hurt and tired, she moved along, dragging her bad leg behind her until she reached a hill which lead down into a ditch. As she moved down the slope, she put her weight on a loose rock which gave way, sending her rolling down into the ditch where she finally passed out…

            A few hours later, Ali finally awoke. Lifting her head out of the mud, she took a moment to recollect everything which had happened. She tried to stand up, but a burst of pain immediately shot up her injured leg. It collapsed under her weight and she fell back down into the mud. _"This isn't good."_ she thought. _"I'm in real trouble now."_ She twisted her head back and licked the wound. A new fear surfaced within her. What if other predators were around? She would not be able to run from them like this. For a moment, she panicked. But then she calmed down, realising that the ditch was covering her scent. She remembered how Littlefoot had used a ditch to satisfy his sleeping arrangements when he had been looking for her (her sense of smell reminded her more than anything else).She tried to cover some of the mud onto herself as a disguise, yet she took care not to get any on her wound so as not to add to the sting. Once she was sure she was completely covered, she laid her head on her paws and began to think. Looking back, she saw new blood surfacing from the cut. But now she felt too tired and weak to stop it, so she allowed the blood to run free. This was a fine situation! She could probably still survive like this. She could easily obtain food, not having to rely on speed or stealth like predators, and she could use ditches such as this to hide from them. But what if her leg never healed? What if she had now become a cripple? She would never be able to run or jump or play again. Even if she did make it back to the valley, she would have to spend all her time lying down whilst the other gambolled around in front of her. _"Stop it?"_ she told herself._ "There's no point in getting worked up about something that may not even be a problem. It's not time to worry yet."_ Despite her mind's comforting words, she felt, miserable and afraid. Feeling the last of her strength abandon her, she collapsed into an uneasy sleep…

            It was dark when Ali finally stirred. The sky was now a navy blue and the trees were illuminated by the Great Night Circle's light. Utterly depressed, she closed her eyes and waited for sleep to take over her once more. However, the sound of a twig snapping opened her eyes again immediately. _"Please don't let it be a Sharptooth." _she prayed silently. Looking up the hill, she saw a figure standing at the top. Though silhouetted against the Night Circle's length, Ali could tell that it was the shape of a Flyer. She let out a sigh of relief. Flyers were nothing to fear. Hearing her sigh, the Flyer swooped down toward her. 

            "Are you alright miss?" he enquired, in an elderly sort of voice. Ali was going to say she was fine and let the Flyer be on his way. But she needed help and who knew when another opportunity would present itself?

            "Not exactly." she replied. "I need help."

            "Anything I can do?" the elder enquired, politely. Ali did not like the idea of burdening a stranger with tasks she needed done, but desperate times call for desperate measures. 

            "Well you see, my herd was attacked by Sharpteeth. I was chased by some of them and I only just got away. But before I could, one of them injured my leg and I can move it." she said, now starting to wonder what fate had befallen her herd and, more importantly, her mother. What if they had been caught?

            "I'm sorry," the Flyer said, interrupting her thoughts, "but I fail to see how one such as myself can be expected to help. I cannot heal your leg."

            "I wasn't expecting THAT. My leg will heal soon enough" Ali replied, trying to reassure herself more than him. "What I need is for someone to get a message to a friend of mind." She remembered how she needed to somehow get the whereabouts of the entrances to the cave of the 'Lost Souls' to Littlefoot. That was where the Flyer came in.

            "Ah!" he said. "Now I am with you. Where is the one you wish the message to be delivered too?"

            "The Great Valley." she answered. "You know it?" The Flyer nodded.

            "Yes I do. As it happens, I am heading toward a place named Three-horn Peak and the valley should not be too far out of my way. I will take the message."

            "Oh thank you!" Ali sighed in relief. Everything would be alright. "Now the one you need to-"

            "Now let's not get ahead of ourselves." the Flyer interrupted. The Great Valley is quite a distance from here I would make more haste if I start tomorrow refreshed. I assume this message is urgent or you would not require my assistance. I will return here at dawn to receive the message." 

            "Oh. Alright then." Ali replied, both disappointed and impatient to get him started. "Goodnight then. And Thanks." The Flyer nodded.

            "Just happy to help." he replied. He bade her goodnight and flew away. _"I just hope he DOES return."_ Ali thought…

            When morning came, Ali awoke to sharp pain in her side. She looked behind her to see the old Flyer, who, in the morning light, turned out to be a dark blue colour with a short crest, poking his yellow beak into her side.

            "Okay, okay, I'm awake!" she said, pushing him away slightly.

            "A thousand apologies'" he said in a hushed voice. "You see, I was unable to use sound to waken you in case nearby Sharpteeth heard and felt like an early breakfast."

            "I see." Ali said, keeping her voice low too.

            "Now then," Blue Flyer began, "Who would you like me to give the message to?" 

            "There are two possible dinosaurs you can go to." she began. "The first is a Longneck like me. He's called Littlefoot. The other is a Swimmer called Ducky. Either will do."

            "How did you come to be acquaintances with a Swimmer?" he enquired.

            "That's kind of a long story. But maybe she will tell you." she said. She then went on to describe her friends. "Littlefoot is about my age and looks pretty much like me, except he's more of a greyish sort of colour and he has red eyes. Ducky would come up to my knees, she's a yellowy-green colour and she has blue eyes. They should be easy to find. They usually hang around with a yellow Threehorn, a green Spiketail and a brown Flyer. But you absolutely MUST make sure neither the Threehorn or the Flyer is around when you give the message." 

            "Right, I think I can remember that." Blue Flyer replied. "And the message?" 

            "This won't make much sense to you probably. Just say that I've discovered that there are two ways into the cave of the 'Lost Souls'. One is through a tunnel inside the Smoking Mountain; the other is through a tunnel in the river leading from the Thundering Falls." Ali had been lucky enough to meet a Flyer who knew nothing of the legend of the 'Lost Souls' and one who possessed and impressive memory. He repeated the message to her, practically word for word. One Ali confirmed that he had it right, he prepared to leave. "What shall I tell them of you?" he asked. Ali thought for a moment.

            "Tell them…I'm on my way." Blue Flyer nodded and flew away, bidding her good luck. Once Blue Flyer had left, Ali felt very alone. She got to her feet and tried put weight on her injured leg. The blood no longer flowed, but it was still stiff and painful. Yet she noticed, with relief, it seemed to be healing. _"Looks like I'll live to beat Littlefoot in another game of 'tag' another day!"_ she thought happily. She started to drag herself out of the ditch, and started to strike out for the valley. She slipped and stumbled a lot and accidentally stood on her injured leg a few times, bringing her to the ground. This was going to take a long time…

            By the end of the day, Blue Flyer had finally reached the valley. Though it may take a long time by foot, a thousand footsteps takes a hundred second while travelling on the wind. Swooping into the valley, Blue Flyer landed to rest for a moment before returning to the air to search for Littlefoot and Ducky. Eventually, he saw a Longneck, a Threehorn and a Spiketail together, near the Thundering Falls. As he flew closer, he could make out the shapes of a Swimmer and a Flyer. _"This must be the group."_ he thought. He landed on the ground and kept out of sight, remembering to stay away from the Flyer and the Threehorn. Eventually, the group broke up, bidding each other goodnight. Blue Flyer headed toward the Longneck, guessing that he would be Ali's first choice, seeing as she described him first. He stepped out in front of the Longneck, making him jump.

            "Is your name Littlefoot?" he asked. The Longneck was taken aback by this sudden invasion on his solitude.

            "Yes." he answered. "Who are you? And how did you guess my name?" 

            "Who I am is of no concern to you. I came here to bring you a message from a Longneck named Ali. Do you know her?" _"The real question here, is does HE know ME?" Littlefoot thought. _

"Yeah I do. Why? Is she in trouble?" he asked, getting worried.

            "I'm afraid." Blue Flyer replied. "Her herd was attacked by Sharpteeth. She was separated from them and badly injured." 

            "What happened to her?" Littlefoot asked.

            "She asked me to come hear to give you a message about the cave of the 'Lost Souls."

            "'Lost Souls'?" Littlefoot echoed. "Okay, let's hear it."

            "Ali says there are two ways into the cave. One way is through a tunnel in the river leading from the Thundering Falls, the other is through tunnel within the Smoking Mountain." he said. _"So that explains why Pterano was near the __Smoking__Mountain__ before."_ Littlefoot realised.

            "Thank you." he said. "What about Ali? Is she gonna be alright?"

            "To be honest I don't know." Blue Flyer replied, hanging his head. "Last time I saw her, she was unable to stand." Littlefoot felt choked up. Last time HE saw Ali, she was full of energy and bounding around. To think that she was now lying somewhere unable to move…was unbearable. _"I've got to help."_ he thought. _"I've just got to."_ Littlefoot looked up at Blue Flyer.

            "Where is she?" he asked…

TO BE CONTINUED…


	22. A New Journey Begins

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**A New Journey Begins** by megacharizard

After Blue Flyer had given him all the details, Littlefoot had returned home to sleep. It was too late in the day to do anything now and if he was going to go into the Mysterious Beyond, he would need as much energy as possible. In his nest, Littlefoot made his plans for tomorrow. He wanted Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike to go with him, but he could not just ask them to put their lives in danger like that. True he had done so in the past like the time he asked them to help him find Ducky, once when Pterano had kidnapped her and again when she had left to find Spike, but he always looked back on these situations feeling ashamed. However, instead of asking them to come with him, he would simply tell them what he planned to do and if they offered to come with him, he would not refuse, just as he had done when he went to stop Hyp, Nod and Mutt from going into the Mysterious Beyond. Littlefoot was fairly confident that they would want to come.

When morning came, memories of the day before came rushing back as Littlefoot awoke. He looked over toward his sleeping grandparents. Regardless of what his friends decided to do, he planned to go into the Mysterious Beyond today. That meant he would not see the faces of his beloved guardians for some time. Although it was early, Littlefoot knew he had to leave them now before he changed his mind. As he began to walk away, they stirred a little in their sleep but did not wake. Littlefoot continued on until he reached the crest of the small slope he had been climbing up. He turned to face his grandparents, whose faces were now bathed in the morning light. He bade them a silent farewell, headed down the other side of the slope and headed for Watcher's Hill.

All too soon, he found himself at the hill, waiting for the others to show up. Looking at the Bright Circle's position in the sky, he knew it would be a while before they arrived so he decided to check along the river to see if he could spot the entrance to the cave of the 'lost souls'. Checking along the banks, he wondered why Pterano would not have gone to claim the power already. _"No Flyer would be able to get through a tunnel filled with water,"_ he thought, _"and all the earthshakes may have blocked up the tunnel in the __Smoking__Mountain__."_ With this thought taken care of, he continued to look for the entrance Ark had found not long before. _"Looks like the Flyer was telling the truth."_ Satisfied with this, Littlefoot made his way back to Watcher's Hill to wait for his friends. Along the way, he saw Petrie flying toward the Smoking Mountain.

"Hey, Petrie!" he called, as he ran toward the small Flyer. "I've got something to tell you!" Petrie gave a silent sigh of frustration. He had been hoping to help his uncle in the Smoking Mountain today. But Littlefoot looked serious and so Petrie flew down to see what the problem was.

"What going on?" he asked.

"Something's come up!" Littlefoot explained. "Something you all need to hear!" At this, Petrie followed him to Watcher's Hill; no longer wishing for solitude so he could go about his business, but could only wondered what on earth could make this news so urgent…

Soon enough, they reached the hill to find Cera waiting for them. As they approached, she ran toward them.

"What took you guys so long?" she demanded. "I've been here for ages." Littlefoot, who had been there just fifteen minutes ago, knew this was a lie, but he did not get a chance to contradict her because, at that moment, Ducky and Spike arrived.

"Sorry we are late. Spike had a lot to eat this morning. He did." Ducky chirped happily.

"So then what kept you?" Cera joked. Littlefoot gave a half-hearted laugh to this, and then his face turned serious.

There's something you guys need to know." he said.

"Well, what is it?" Cera asked. Littlefoot relayed everything to them, that which he had heard from Blue Flyer, leaving out the part about the 'lost souls'.

"I'm not sure what's happening exactly." he finished up. "But Ali needs help and I'm going to try and do something. I just thought you guys should know."

"Are you nuts?" Cera asked incredulously. "Do you really think that Flyer was telling the truth? What if it's just a lie to get you to go into the Mysterious Beyond?"

"How do you explain how the Flyer knew my name and Ali's name?" Littlefoot countered. Cera paused to try and find an argument to this. "Besides," Littlefoot continued, not waiting for her objection, "it's not like **you** have to go." Too this, Cera **did** object, just as Littlefoot had hoped.

"Hey, hey, hey! That's not what I meant! If you're going, then we're **all** going! I'm just saying 'what if this Flyer was wrong'?" she asked.

"Then we'll find out soon enough, won't we?" Littlefoot replied with a smile. Ducky spoke up.

"I think we should hurry up and go! We should! The sooner we find out what has happened to Ali, the sooner we can come home!" Spike nodded in agreement. One by one, they all looked at Petrie. He was torn between going to help a friend, and staying behind to help his uncle.

"What do you say Petrie?" Ducky asked, excited at the prospect o a new adventure. Petrie knew that to refuse would cause questions to be asked. Besides, Pterano would be able to cope without him for a while. Still, he thought it best that he told Pterano some excuse of why he would not be able to help.

"Petrie coming." he said firmly, nodding his head. "But me have a few things me need to take care of first. Friends go ahead and Petrie catch up." he offered.

"What sort of things?" Cera asked, suspiciously.

"That none of your business." He replied coolly. "Go ahead without Petrie, me can't come yet." he said.

"I guess you will be able to catch up quickly with wings." Littlefoot agreed reluctantly. "I'll tell you which way we're going so you'll know what to do." He ended up telling everyone the way they would have to go, so if they were separated, they would have somewhere to meet up. With this taken care of, Petrie bade them goodbye and left to find his uncle. He also planned to help with the digging just a little before heading out to meet the others. As Petrie left, the others made their way toward the North Pass, ready to undertake their latest adventure…

Ali made her way over the next slope and ended up sliding headlong into a small pond. _"I give up!"_ she thought to herself, in frustration. This was the eighth time something like that had happened and she getting tired of it. The pain in her leg was now a dull throb and, if it were any consolation, the water did soothe it a little. _"I'll never reach the Great Valley."_ she thought. _"But the Flyer told Littlefoot that I'm coming, so I **have **to try!_" She picked herself up and promptly fell down again as the pain flared again. _"Well, I think that's enough trying for now!"_

Petrie soon reached the Smoking Mountain. He was not sure what he would tell his uncle, be he was sure that Pterano would not tell his mother of his plans. He entered the tunnel, travelling along the familiar route and soon found Pterano and Rax shifting rocks. He felt a small twinge of sadness to see Ark was not there.

"Ah, Petrie!" Pterano greeted him. "Ready to get to work?" Petrie sighed and took a deep breath.

"Me can't come and help for next few days." he said. "Petrie's friend in trouble. Me have to leave valley and help after lunch. Please no tell Mama?" Pterano was surprise to say in the least. But he had always recognised the adventure spirit within his nephew and decided not to ask questions.

"I will not speak a word to anyone." he promised. "Just be careful and there will still be work for you to do when you return." Petrie nodded happily and started to help with the digging.

Up at the North Pass, Littlefoot and the others were all set to go. They paused for a moment to look out into the valley for what would be the last time in a long time. But this was no time for sentimentality. Every second they spent was another second for something to happen to Ali while she was in her weakened state. One by one, they all filed through the small tunnel, leading them out of the valley and into the mountains of the Mysterious Beyond. Somewhere, out in the distance, they could here the roars of the Sharpteeth. But it was not time to worry…yet…

Inside the valley, the morning shifted into midday and Petrie's stomach told him it was time for lunch. This meant he had to go and meet his friends. He set aside the rock he was lifting.

"Me have to go and catch up with friends now." he told his uncle. Pterano nodded gravely.

"I understand." he said. "Off you go now. You Land-Walker friends will not get far without the aid of a Flyer. And do not worry. I shall not breathe a word to your mother." Petrie thanked him and made his way to the surface. Pterano's prejudice remark against his friends had had no affect on him whatsoever. He had heard it all before. Soon enough, he was in the air, the wind rushing past him. _"Hold guys."_ he thought as he flew toward the north wall._ "Me coming."_

TO BE CONTINUED…


	23. Chase through the Mountains

                                                Chase through the Mountains by megacharizard

Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky and Spike, although not yet out of sight if the valley, had come a fair way. It had been over a month since they had last left the valley and each was starting to feel slightly worried (Cera of course was desperate to hide it). They had already been travelling for a few hours and had put a fair amount of distance between them and the valley. As they walked, Ducky, perched on Spike's back as always, watched the skies tirelessly, waiting for Petrie to appear and join them. She shook her head, forcing herself to keep her mind on their task. Ali was the one in trouble, not Petrie.

            At that moment, Petrie had just cleared the walls of the valley and was steadily making his way toward the others. He was very frustrated about the ordeal to come. Sure, he wanted to help a friend in trouble, who wouldn't? But he also wanted to save the 'lost souls' from their 'imprisonment'. Pterano had been doing well before Petrie joined in, but since Ark's death, there would now be only him and Rax. Petrie sighed to himself. He just hoped this adventure would not take too long. He flew along the ledge of the mountain which the others would be walking along. So absorbed was he in his thoughts, he failed to spot a large green tail disappear around the corner…

            Inside the valley, Littlefoot's grandparents were starting to wake up. It took them but a few seconds to realise that their grandson was missing.

            "Where **is** he?" Grandpa asked in frustration as he searched through the nearby bushes.

            "Calm down, dear." his mate said, soothingly. "He probably went off early to play with his friends. We'll ask their families later." Grandma had made an unarguable decision, but both Longnecks were secretly worried that their grandson may, yet again, be embarking on another one of his 'wild adventures'…

            Up in the mountains, everyone was trying to keep as far from the edge as possible. As they walked, a small segment of the rock ahead of them gave way and collapsed, leaving a gap that they would have to jump over.

            "Well, at least it can't get any worse, right?" Littlefoot asked, wearing a fake smile. As if to prove him wrong, the Sharptooth Petrie had been so close to earlier, now came charging around the corner, ready for a hunt. Cera gave Littlefoot a look of accusation.

            "Why? Why did you have to say that??" she asked him.

            "Well at least **now** it can't get any worse!" he defended himself. Alas, again he was wrong. Another large beast, this time a grey Sharptooth leapt down to them from a higher path.

            "Oh, you've **got **to be kidding me!!" Littlefoot cried in disbelief.

            "Please do not say 'things cannot get worse' again!" Ducky yelled to Littlefoot. Giving into terror, the four dinosaurs hurried to the newly created hole in the path and jumped over it. But Sharpteeth do not give up that easily. Both monsters jumped over the gap and gave chase. Screaming for dear life, the young leaf-eaters forced themselves onward, not wanting to think what would happen if they took too long. As they hurried along, Cera noticed a small path leading up to a higher ledge. On the ledge was a large rock. If she could get up there, there was a chance that she could push it down onto the Sharpteeth just as she and the others had done many times before.

            "You guys keep going that way, I have a plan!" she called to them. Littlefoot looked at her.

            "What are you gonna do?" he asked.

            "No time to explain, just go!!" she yelled and with that, she veered to the left and headed up the pathway.

            "No, wait-" Littlefoot tried to stop her, but she was already gone. _"Oh well,"_ he thought,_ "may as well see what she has in mind." _Keeping one eye on her and one eye on the path ahead, he and Spike continued to run while Ducky shouted encouragement to them. Up on the ridge, Cera waited until the green Sharptooth was almost underneath her and then started to push her great strength against the boulder. It was heavier than she had expected, but she was determined not to give up. _"If I don't do this, the others will be Sharptooth bait!"_ She summoned more strength, but still, the rock seemed to be just crawling to the edge. She took a deep breath and rammed the rock with one last mighty push and finally, it went down, smashing in to other stones which protruded from the cliff face. It struck its target, striking the beast on the back of its neck. It stumbled and fell over the side of the ledge, off the mountain. _"One down."_ she thought, grimly.

            On the lower level, Littlefoot, Spike and Ducky still had one Sharptooth left to contend with. To make matters worse, they were trapped on the edge. The terrifying creature let out a blood-curdling roar and charged toward them.

            "Quick!! This way!!" Littlefoot yelled to Spike and they ran to the side, letting the Sharptooth head over the ledge by accident. _"Hah! Thick as a Clubtail's back!" _Littlefoot thought triumphantly. But his happiness was short lived. As the monster fell, its tail accidentally lashed out and knocked Ducky off her perch on Spike's back.

            "Ducky!!!" Littlefoot cried out as he and Spike watched helplessly as she fell to her doom…

            When Cera arrived, she noticed right away that Ducky was missing. Littlefoot told what had happened and the three of them sat there in silence, weeping for their friend. Their mourning was halted by the sound of wings flapping. One by one, they looked over to the ledge and were filled with joy to see Petrie hovering there, holding Ducky in his talons.

            "Ducky! Petrie!" Littlefoot and Cera both cried. Petrie lowered Ducky, who was wearing an exhausted, yet happy grin down onto the ledge, safe and sound.

            "Me can't you guys for half a day." Petrie joked. "What **would** you be without Petrie?"

            "**I'd **be content and happy!" Cera joked back and they laughed as Spike licked Ducky again and again and again. At last, all five of them were together.

            Meanwhile, Ali was continuing to struggle through the forest. As she approached a small clearing, she brushed up against a tree and let out a cry of pain as one sharp branch cut into her skin, re-opening the wound. _"Damn!" _she cursed as a trickle of blood fell from the wound as a tear would fall from an eye. _"Not again!"_ Worried that this may double her difficulty in reaching the valley, she decided to find a place to rest. Ahead of her was a small pond. On the far side of it lay a few boulders which were arranged in such a way that they left a small opening between them, which was covered by water reeds. As she dragged her hurt leg toward the small cave, rain fell through the clearing, easing her pain. She reached the pond's edge and sighed in relief as she sank into the water, soothing her pain even more. She slowly swam over to the cave and crawled inside. _"This is just getting worse and worse!_" she thought sadly as she lay down gently, facing the water. She lapped at the water a little and then rested her head on her fore legs. As the sound of the rain drumming on the cave's roof started to lull her into sleep, she wondered, not for the first time, if she would ever see her friends again…

TO BE CONTINUED…


	24. Trapped in the Forest

Trapped in the Forest by megacharizard

"I don't know how many times your Littlefoot has led my Cera into the Mysterious Beyond, Longneck," Mr Threehorn roared, "but **this** is the last time!" Grandpa sighed. Cera's father was so damn predictable. Every time Littlefoot and his friends left the valley, he would claim it to be the last time and yet, somehow, it would always happen just one more time.

"Arguing amongst ourselves will not get us anywhere. We have to think of something and it has to be now!" he replied, calmly, but forcibly. But old Threehorn would have none of it as usual.

"Bah! I'm not going to waste time talking to a Longneck!" he thundered. "I'll think of a plan to find Cera by myself!" And with that, he turned tail and walked away, muttering something about how typical a situation like this could be to a Threehorn who mixed freely with other dinosaurs.

The rest of the dinosaurs continued to debate about how to deal with the matter but things were not looking good. Grandpa and Grandma were two old to go wondering around the Mysterious Beyond, while searching for something that was constantly moving away from them at a faster pace, and Ducky and Petrie's mothers had their other children to look after.

Since it was still late spring, no other dinosaurs, which were old enough to defend themselves against Sharpteeth, could go either because they had nests of newborns that required their immediate attention. And so the situation seemed hopeless. No one even knew where they were, except for Pterano. And he wasn't going to tell anybody...

As Littlefoot and the others carried on down the slope through the mountains, it soon became apparent that a large mountain was in their way.

"How are we gonna get past this?" Cera asked, slamming her foot on the ground in exasperation.

"Blue Flyer would have flown right past it." Littlefoot said. "So I guess we'll have to go around it."

"But that take time." Petrie squawked. "Me think we should climb over big rock. It got flat top, not pointy top." He was right. It looked more like a cliff than a mountain but the sides looked incredibly steep and no one fancied trying out his idea.

"Wait! I see something! I do, I do!" Ducky suddenly yelled, jumping up and down on Cera's back.

"What? What do you see?" Cera asked. Ducky jumped to the ground and ran over to the cliff face.

"We do not have to go over it or around it. Oh no, no, no, no, no! We can go **through** it! We can!" She pointed proudly to a hole which had been hidden from view by a few boulders.

"It would be quicker if there was a tunnel reaching the whole way through," Littlefoot admitted, "but if it doesn't, we would waste a lot of time. So which way do we go?" Everyone stopped to think about it. However, the decision was made for them in the form of a large Sharptooth appearing around the corner and heading straight for them.

"Everyone! Get inside!" Cera yelled to them as she ran ahead. The others were not far behind. Just as the Sharptooth opened its jaws, the squeezed through the hole and made it to safety. The Sharptooth collided with the wall so hard, rocks began to fall, blocking up the hole, trapping them inside the cave.

Everyone got to their feet and looked at the blockage. It took a moment for their eyes to get used to the darkness, but once they did, the realised the cavern was a lot bigger than they had assumed.

"Now what we do?" Petrie asked looking all around him. Spike walked over to the blockage and tried to shift the rocks, but they were too heavy.

"I guess we're gonna have to go through it after all." Littlefoot sighed.

"B-b-but what if there is not way out?" Ducky asked, starting to feel afraid.

"I...I don't know." Littlefoot replied...

Out in the forest, Ali was just beginning to wake up. She was still tired and the skywater hitting the roof of the cave would send her back to sleep at any moment. Ali smile slightly as she realised that, despite her predicament, she was relaxed and peaceful for once. She yawned and rolled on to her back, waiting to drift off again. But her peacefulness was not to last...

Just as she closed her eyes, she heard the hiss of a small Sharptooth which snapped them open again. She rolled onto her front and crawled to the entrance. Looking to the right of the cave, she felt her blood freeze as a Sharptooth from the same group that had attacked her earlier, loomed out of the mist and began to sniff around. At first, Ali was afraid, but she calmed herself, remembering that the skywater would have covered her scent. One the minus side, it meant she could not determine how many Sharpteeth there were outside. She watched with bated breath as more members of the pack appeared. She was expecting them to move on at any moment. But they did not. To her horror, she saw them begin to lie down and fall asleep, leaving three on guard. Through the mist, Ali could see a few newly hatched Sharpteeth. _"They must be planning on staying here until their babies are old enough to move!"_ she realised with shock. If they planned on staying right there, she had no hope of escaping. With three on guard at all times, they would easily spot her if she tried to escape. And with her leg in this condition, she could never outrun them like she did before.

Thinking of her leg, she decided to see how it was bearing up. She stood up on her three good legs and tried to put weight on her bad one. It did not hurt much now, but it was stiff and as soon as she put weight on it, it buckled. _"I'm never gonna get out of here!" s_he thought to herself as she collapsed to the floor. As she lay their in the dirt, tears of hopelessness fell from her eyes...

TO BE CONTINUED...


	25. Escape Foiled

**Escape Foiled** by megacharizard

Littlefoot and the others tried to knock away the boulders that blocked their exit, but they were too large. Littlefoot walked away with Ducky, Petrie and Spike, but the ever persistant Cera continued to bash her head against the rocks.

"Give it up Cera!" Littlefoot called to her. "That isn't going to work. We need to find another way through." Cera stopped banging against the wall for a moment.

"And what if there isn't another way through?" she asked. "Then what?" Littlefoot stopped to think. If there wasn't another way out, then they would have to come back here and try to break through again. But even if they could, they would waste a lot of valuable time.

"There will be another way." he said, with determination. "We have to believe that." Cera sighed in frustration and walked away from the blockage. If there was any such thing as an easy life, **she** hadn't found it...

It was nightfall in the forest. Ali had spent the last few hours thinking of a plan to escape the Sharpteeth and, praise the gods, she had thought of one. But, like all great plans, it was both dangerous, and there was a very large possibility of something going wrong. There were only two Sharpteeth on guard and now was the time to put her plan into action. She picked up a small rock in her jaws and threw it in the Sharpteeth's direction. As it clattered past them, they looked at eachother for a moment and then ran off after it, thinking it may be a dinosaur for them to eat. With no Sharpteeth awake, Ali slipped out of the cave and sank into the water. Heading away from the pack, she slipped out of the pond and dragged herself away,She was making good progress when she heard hisses in the distance. The Sharpteeth were searching the whole forest! if they found her...She looked down at her feet and, with a chill, she realised that the skywater had made the ground soggy. Her footprints could be clearly seen. But she did not panic. She kept going with determination. After a while, she made a large u-turn and headed back the way she had come. As she taveled on, she passed a large rock which she knew she could use as a hiding place. She returned to the pond and quickly slipped in and out to keep her scent hidden. She back to double back over her tracks, heading toward the hiding place she had picked out. She saw the pack was now reduced to the females and the the younglings. That meant the rest were out hunting...for her! With a growing feeling of desperation, she kept moving backward along her tracks until she finally reached the rock. She scrambled up it and best she could and slipped into the shadows. As she prepared to jump off the other side, she stopped as she heared something. She turned to see one Sharptooth following her tracks. As it drew closer to her, she drew in her breath and waited. Now, was the moment of truth...

Mean while, Littlefoot and the others continued on steadily through the cave. They were running out of time. If there was no way through at the end, there would be no hope for any of them. Ducky started to wiped her forehead as she sat up on Littlefoot's head. Petrie,w ho was on Cera's back, did the same.

"It sure hot in here." he moaned.

"It is. It is." Ducky agreed. "Usually when we are in a cave, it is cool. But this one is not. No, no, no."

"Would guys quit complaning?" Cera said, in an annoyed voice. Littlefoot stopped walking.

"They're right though." he said. "Why is it so hot?" Cera had to admit that she was feeling the heat too.

"I don't know, but if we don't-" she stopped talking as she heard a strange rumbling sound. Evryone looked back they way they had come to see what was causing the heat. A large wave of lava, heading straight for them.

"Fire-water! Run!" Littlefoot exclaimed. They were away like lightning. Screaming, the hurled themselves onwards, trying to escape the horrors behind. They came to halt as they found them selves on the edge of a high cliff.

"Quick! This way!" Cera yelled, heading left. Everone followed her along the curve as the lava went over the edge. They had escaped, but they were not safe. As they rounded the corner, Littlefoot and Spike both slipped over the ledge, rolling the steep hill. Cera and the others came to a halt and turned just in time to see them go over. The group was now split in two...

Oblivious to the would-be recue party's plight, Ali continued to watch theSharptooth with bated breath. It came closer and closer, until finally, it passed right by her. _"It's a good thing Sharpteeth aren't very smart."_ she thought, sighing relief. She jumped down off the rock, wincing as she landed on her bad leg. Moving away from the trail she had created, she was filled with a sense giddy relief as she realised she had escaped from the Sharpteeth. She was free! Her happiness was not to last, however. In the distance, she heard an angry hiss. Knowing that the Sharptooth must have reached the end of her fake trail, she tried to quicken her pace. She heard the Sharptooth running. The sounds were getting louder. They were coming...for her. Again, she tried to hurry. But, even with four healthy legs, she would have had no chance. She turned to see one beast leap out of the foliage, right toward her. Before she even had time to scream,it struck her around the eye. In a stroke of luck, she was able to roll with the blow, sending her down a long slope, away from the hideous carnivore. She tumbled down, down, down. At last, she struck solid ground. She looked up, her left eye half-closed from the blow. _"I've got to get out of hear before my luck runs out!"_ she thought desperately. But it seemed her luck had run out already. Hearing hisses behind her, she turned to see the Sharpteeth bounding down the hill, closing in on their meal...

TO BE CONTINUED...


	26. The Choices We Make

**The Choices We Make **by megacharizard

Littlefoot awoke to find himself at the bottom of a steep slope, in a dark cave, with one hell of a headache. A second later, he became aware of a strange and eerie sound. He looked around for the source and found it was Spike, passed out and making sleep-grumbles. Littlefoot looked up to the slope, trying to see if he could spot Cera, Ducky or Petrie.

"CERA?" he called out and stopped as the cave was instantly filled with talk-backs, speaking with his voice. The first time he had ever heard a talk-back had been when he was on the way to the Land of Mists with Ali. In the cave, he had spoken a little too ludly and was stnned to hear a voice, very much like his own, to 'go back'. Some time late, after the Big Freeze, Ducky told him that she had experianced the same thing while searching for Spike. Mr Thicknose explain that a talk-back often occur in large places such as these. Getting over his intial shock, Littlefoot called again. "DUCKY? PETRIE? CAN YOU HEAR ME?" he winced as the talk-backs almost deafened him. He heard no response. Either they were too high up to hear him, which he doubted as the nosie he made had been tremendous, or they and run on, not realising that he and Spike were not with them. Worried that they may move on without them, he tried to climb up the slope. However, he could not make it too far because it soon became too steep. He slipped and fell back down toward Spike, who was still asleep. He struggled to his feet and looked at Spike. _"It's no good."_ he thought. _"We're gonna have to make our own way through...while they make their's."_ As Littlefoot began the awful job of trying to wake up Spike, he felt glad that he had told everyone the way to go so they ould have a rendevous point if they were separated. Because now, they were going to need it...

Up at the top, Cera and the others had had no choice but to keep running as the lava had chased them. Some of it had poured down the slope, very narrowly missing Littlefoot and Spike, but there was still a great deal more behind them. And so the three dinosaurs continued their terrifying race for survival until, at last, the path began to move uphill. As they went up, the lava soon began to fall behind until it finally gave up its weary pursuit. Cera, Ducky and Petrie rested where they were, exhausted from the run.

"That...was too...too close." Cera panted.

"Yep, yep...yep!" Ducky agreed, collapsing on the ground.

"But...where Littlefoot...and Spike?" Petrie asked, gasping for breath.

"Oh no! We left them behind!" Cera cried. They looked back in the direction they had come. there was no way they could go back with the lava blocking them off.

"What we do? What we do?" Petrie cawed, starting to panic.

"Okay, okay...we just need to keep calm." Cera said, though having great difficulty herself. "Littlefoot knows the way to go and so do we. We have to move on and find Ali. Hopefully we'll meet Littlefoot and Spike there too." The plan sounded good, but there was one problem.

"W-what if they're not there?" Ducky asked, worried for her foster brother. "They might not have made it. They might not. Oh no, no, no, no, no." Cera took a deep breath and then let it out in a deep sigh.

"If we don't meet them there..." she paused for a moment, trying to think of what to say next, "...then we'll meet them back home. You'll see." And with that, Cera got to her feet and started to walk away from the lava, looking around for some way out. Ducky had heard Cera's words, but they had done little to comfort her. Petrie landed on the ground next to her and put his wing around her shoulder, comfortingly.

"Cera right." he said. "We will see them again." Ducky smiled weakly, but that was the best she could do. Petrie let out a depressed sigh. Things were not going well. Cera looked behind her to see the two tiny dinosaurs in their depressed state. Trying to be strong for the three of them, she scooped them onto her back with her tail, deciding to let them ride for a while.

"Everything will be okay." she said, soothingly. "You'll see."

Though it had taken more time than Littlefoot cared to think about to wake his companion up, Spike was now up and , sort of, alert. Spike had cried out for his foster sister, sounding like an injured animal. But when Littlefoot had explained that the faster they got out of the cave, the sooner they would find Ducky, he was up and ready to go. As they continued along, they were sooned rewarded with a way out. It was a hole. Not a big one, but a hole nonetheless.

"Alright Spike, I'll go through first to see if it's big enough." Littlefoot said. He started through, but soon became stuck about halfway. "Oh great! Spike, I need help!" Spike complied, pushing against him as hard as he could. Soon enough, Littlefoot shot through and landed of a patch of cool sand. Apart from a slightly scratched abdomen, he was fine. He stood up and turned to face Spike. "Uhhh, I don't know if the hole is big enough for you Spike." he said. But Spike would not listen. He tried to push his way through, but could not even get his shoulders past. He started to whine like a dog, trying again and again to break past the entanglement of the stones, but it was useless. Littlefoot sighed. He knew he would not be able to get Spike through, nor could he convince the poor Spiketail to stop and return to the vally and wait there for everyone. Wracked with guilt, Littlefoot found himself turning away from Spike and walking out into the desert, trying to ignore the pitiful yelps that came from behind. _"If anything happens to him while I'm gone...it'll be my fault."_ Littlefoot thought. He tunred back for a second and saw Spike, still there, crying out loudly. He thought of Ali._ "It's either him or her." _he thought. _"I can't help both of them. So which of them is more important?"_ Littlefoot stood torn for a moment. In the end, he decided in favour of his Farwalker companion. After all, he had set out to help her in the first place and he was determined to see it through to the end._ "I'm sorry Spike."_ he thought. _"But this is something I have to do. Everything will be okay. I promise."_ And, with a heavy heart he continued on into the blazing desert, turning away from the last of his old friends...

In the meantime, everything was **not **okay for Ali. The Sharpteeth had her surround and they were not going to wait around. They all lept in on her at once. Reacting instinctively, she tried to run straight forward, determined to plough right through them. Luckily for her, these Sharpteeth were very young and so had little experience in hunting and wounding their prey. Though they tore at her with their claws, she pressed on bravely. She managed to knock a few back with her tail but the rest came at her again and again, scratching her all over. They reached the edge of a steep slope. Ali lokked down at it. She could see the end led to a sheer drop. She had an idea, but it was risky._ "Well, who wants to live forever anyway?"_ she thought and threw herself down the slope. Some of the monster were brought down with her. Howling, they tried to sink their claws into the ground to slow their decent, but it was too late... They went flying of the edge, down to the darkness below...

Out of her good eye, Ali spotted a low hanging branch, heading right for her. Instantly, she reached up and grabbed it with her teeth. her fall was stopped, but now she was on the edge with just a stick to keep her alive. Thinking quickly, she wrapped her front legs arund the trunk of the tree which had produced her life saving branch. bracing her back feet against the edge of the drop, she pulled herself up and around to the far side of the tree, safe at last. _"Oh boy!" _she thought, with great relief._ " One more second.."_ There were several trees now, which she was able to use to pull herself to safety. When she reached the top, she walked on for a bit, wading through a pond at one point to clean off the new blood that had emerged from her newest injuries. She was covered head-to-toe in scratches. Along with her bad leg and her bad eye, she no longer looked like the Longneck she had been just a short while ago. She stared at her reflection in the pond. She saw a Longneck who appeared to have had to fight for her life every single day of it. A Longneck who was just a shadow of her former self. A Longneck who was doomed to die...

TO BE CONTINUED...


	27. From Deserts to Forests

**From Deserts to Forests** by megacharizard

As Littlefoot continued on across the blazing sands, he still felt guilty about leaving Spike. _"Don't worry about it."_ he reassured himself. _"Spike will be okay. According to Blue Flyer, Ali is hurt and she could be at risk to Sharpteeth attacks. She's the one who needs help right now. Besides, Spike is bound to pick up Ducky's scent and find her. Or he'll at least find his own way out. Everything will be fine."_ But try as he might, he could not get rid of the nagging feeling that he was making the wrong choice. As he climbed up a sand dune, the edge of the forest finally came into view. _"Alright!"_ he thought, _"Not much further now!"_ He carried on, moving at a faster pace. He ignored the heat of the sun. He ignored the burning sand beneath his feet. He did not even notice the dryness in his throat. He just kept going, never losing sight of his objective. Soon enough, he reached the trees and stepped into the cool shade. Able to eat and drink at last for the first time in what seemed like ages, he now set about the difficult task of finding Ali. This was going to take a long time...

Meanwhile, Ali had given up all hope. In her attempts to escape the Sharpteeth, she had completely lost track of which way she was supposed to go. She was lost, hurt and alone. _"Who was I kidding?"_ she thought, bitterly. _"I was beaten from the start! I give up!"_ And with that, she collapsed on the ground, making no effort to stop the tears from flowing. She lay there, thinking of her friends. She had tolsd Blue Flyer that she was coming to the valley. The others would be expecting her. But she would never arrive. She could see it all now. They would wait and they would wait. Eventually, they may try to find her, but they would find nothing. They would return home, and maybe they would shed tears for her. She knew that if they came after her, they would be putting themselves in danger. But there was nothing she could do about that anymore. She had tried...and failed. And so she lay there, waiting for death to come to her in the form of some carnivore. She only hoped dying would not be too painful. As she lay there, in the clearing, she thought of one last thing before she passed out. _"Littlefoot..."_

It was a silent group that Cera led through the stoney paths of the caves. No-one could think of anything to say to lift anyone else's spirits. But that did not really matter as the only thing that would have worked would have been to be able to truthfully say: Littlefooot, Ali and Spike are perfectly fine, they're gonna catch up with us in two seconds and the Great Valley's just round the next corner." Of course nothing like that ever happens in real life. Or stories, come to that...

Nevertheless, they plodded on, hoping any second to see an opening out into the desert around the bend. But each time they were met with dissapointment. At last Cera came to a stop and lay down.

"Alright guys," she panted, "I just gotta...gotta rest for a minute." Ducky and Petrie always felt guilty about their privelage to be passengers whenever they wanted too while the others were forced to walk, especially in times like this. Petrie jumped off Cera's head and flew up a bit.

"Me go and try to find way out." he said. "You guys stay here and rest." A second later and he was gone. Ducky found some plants growing on the rocks, where light was shining in from the cave roof. She grabbed as many as she could and took them to Cera.

"Do not worry Cera." she said. "We will find the others soon, we will." Cera smiled as best she could, but it was hard to feel optimistic at the moment.

Petrie continued onward, desperately searching for a way out. He, more than any of the others, hated not being able to see the sky. It made him feel trapped and flying had always been a sense of freedom to him. Had he known how great the experience was when he was a hatchling, he doubted he would have been so hesitant in learning to do it. As he flew on, his thoughts drifted to Pterano and the situation with the 'lost souls'. _"Me **have** to get back soon!"_ he thought desperately, _"Me **have **to!"_ The job of freeing them was dangerous as Ark had discovered to his cost. Petrie knew he would not be able to bear it if the same fate should fall upon his uncle. However, he stopped thinking of this when he finally spotted a way out. Filled with just a tad of optimism now, he flew toward it, only to be cut short when he heard a deafening roar. Quick as lightniing, he flew to a small ledge and hid behind some of the small stones on it. Looking out from behind them, shaking like a leaf, Petrie saw a large, grey Sharptooth walking around near the exit. it sniffed around for a second, be for laying down a falling asleep. Petri cursed his luck. No sooner had he found an exit, it had been blocked up. He made his way back to the others. They were going to be hard pressed to get out of the cave and find Ali...

At last, Littlefoot came to a clearing. As he peered through the leaves, what he saw ahead of him, made his blood run cold. Ali was lying there, eyes closed and not moving. He struggled out of the bushes and hurried over to her.

"Ali?" he asked, nudging her gently. "Ali, can you hear me?" She was still. _"I'm too late!" _he thought._"Too late!"_ "No, no...NO! This can't be happening, no!" Overcome with grief, he collapsed on the ground, weeping pitifully._ "It's my fault!"_ he thought bitterly. _"I took too long! Too long!"_ He looked to her. Her left eye, was bruised, there was a deep gash on her right hind leg and several cuts on her body. _"The Sharpteeth must have gotten her."_ he thought_ "Just like... like...Mother."_ As the tears returned to his eyes, he nuzzled her and licked her face. He recoiled in shock when he tasty salty water. Tears? But how? She was dead,wasn't she? He looke at her eyes. He saw one tear, trying to make its way from her injured eye. But how could there be tears unless...she was...alive! _"She's alive! She's alive! She has to be! She has to!"_ he thought excitedly. He nudged her again, desperately._ "Yes, come on! Any minute now! She should wake up any minute now!"_ He kept on and on...but she would not stir...

"No...I was wrong." he whispered aloud. "She **is**... I was wrong. Wrong." This was too much. Too have thought she could have been alive and then too realise the truth...he felt a new wave of anguish over come him. He broked down and cried over her body.

"I'm so sorry." he whispered to her, "If I hadn't wasted time trying to get the others to come with me...if I had come alone...I would've done it. I **know** I would have! It's my fault!" Still the tears fell. His eyes were blurred. He did not see her stirring. He did not see her eyes open. He did not know she could hear him. "I never even took the chance to tell you...that...I...I...I love you." Ali's eyes snapped wide open. She lifted her head up, causing Littlefoot to jump back in shock. Ali shook her head a few times.

"You-you're a-alive!" Littlefoot stuttered, not quite believing what he saw.

"Littlefoot?" Ali said, dazed and confused. "What are you doing here?" While the tears still flowed, Littlefoot's face of shock, turned to a smile.

"That's a long story." he said, shakily. "I thought you were dead!" Ali smiled and nuzzled him.

"Well, I'm not," she said, smiling weakly, "though I came close to it. **Way** too close!" She looked him in the eye. "I heard what you said. Is it...true?" Littlefoot looked away for a moment.

"Yes...yes it is." he said with a heavy sigh. Ali leaned over to him and whispered in his ear.

"Then you need to know that...that I...I love you too." She pulled a way and giggled at his wide eyes.

"R-really?" Littlefoot stammered. Ali nodded and licked his muzzle affectionatly. Littlefoot sighed again. This time, with happiness. He still had to find the others, get everyone home and stop Pterano, but that could wait for now.

Spike had continued to try and bash his way through the small hole in the rock persistantly until Littlefoot had finally disappeared from view. He still wailed out loudly though. As his wails bounced of the walls, the rocks began to shake and started to come crashing down around him. Terrified, he ran for his life, not knowing where to go. He ran on and on, dodging rocks, darting left and right. Finally, he came to a ledge, beyond which lay nothing but darkness. Looking up to the ceiling, he saw a large boulder, heading straight for him. Without thinking, he hurled himself over the edge and screamed out as he tumbled into the black void below...

TO BE CONTINUED...


	28. From Bad to Worse

From Bad to Worse by megacharizard

Littlefoot and Ali were resting in a small patch of bushes. The recent events had been very exhausting, emotionally as well as physically. After his trek through the desert, Littlefoot was fast asleep but Ali, who had slept just a short while ago, was only dozing, her head resting atop Littlefoot's. As a cool breeze blew through the trees, Ali yawned and opened her eyes. Lifting her head up, she lapped at the water of a nearby puddle and touched her hurt eye with her paw gently. She over at Littlefoot and nudged him gently to wake him up. Littlefoot shifted slightly.

"Grandma, give me two more minutes." he mumbled, "I'll get up, I promise." Ali giggled and nipped his ear plafully. Littlefoot awoke with a start and lifted his head up. "What was that for?" he asked, in mock anger.

"You were talking in your sleep." Ali replied with a smile. "I had to wake you up cuz you sounded like you were having a nightmare." Littlefoot gave her a skeptical look.

"Somehow, I don't think so." he replied.

"Well there's nothing you can do about it now." she said, trying not to laugh.

"Wanna bet?" Littlefoot challenged, and nipped her back before she had time to move. The two broke down laughing, enjoying the peace. Something neither of them had been able to do for a while now. And that was about all they were going to get. As the they laughed, they began to pick up the scent...and then the smell of...

In the cave, Petrie had returned to Cera and Ducky and told them of the Sharptooth that blocked their way. To say that they were dissapointed to hear this news would be an understatement.

"Oh great!" Cera fumed. "Not **another** Sharptooth!"

"Can we find some other way out? Can we?" asked Ducky. Petrie shook his head.

"That the only way as far as me know." he replied. Cera sighed.

"Well, you said it was asleep. Maybe we can slip past. She got to her feet and started walking. A few seconds later she stopped and asked, somewhat sheepishly:

"Um...which way did you say it was?"

"Sharpteeth!" Ali cried. "They're coming this way!" Panicking, they got to their feet. Littlefoot took off immediately, but then stopped as he remembered Ali's injuries.

"Littlefoot, no!" Ali cried, seeing him head back toward her. "Just leave, please!" Littlefoot shook his head.

"I didn't come all this way to find you just to turn tail and run as soon as trouble shows up!" he declared. He managed to get her to lean on him, thus taking the weight of her bad leg. They were able to travel quicker this way, but it would not be a pace anyone would call fast...................................well maybe a turtle......

A few seconds later, three pack hunters came crashing through the bracken, hissing and bradishing their claws. Littlefoot left Ali's side for a moment to grab a mass of vines in his jaws. He threw them at the hunters, ensnaring them for a moment. Side by side, the two Longnecks moved on until they reached a fast moving river. Ali looked at Littlefoot.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked.

"I think I am." Littlefoot replied, with just a hint of a grin. Just as the Sharpteeth freed themselves, Littlefoot and Ali leapt into the swift waters, letting the current take them away. The Sharpteeth looked on and howled in fury as their prize escaped. The cold water seemed to take away Ali's pain, at least for the moment. For the first time in a long time, she was able to move freely again. Littlefoot, who had been exhausted by his long journey, started to sink beneath the waters. Ali swam over to him and plunged under the surface. When she emerged, she had managed to get Littlefoot resting on top of her. Swimming for the both of them now, Ali tried to fight the current, striking out for the bank. The waters were too fast, constantly smashing her against the rocks again and again until she could not take much more. Taking a deep breath, she slipped under the surface again, just to silence the river's deafening roar. Though there was silence for a moment, she was forced to surface to refill her burning lungs. With water in her eyes, she could not see. She could not see the low hanging branch which, could have been their saviour, was now their doom. Bashing her head against it at full force, she was knocked unconcious. As the river raged on, no-one saw two Longnecks slip below the surface...

Petrie led the others near to the exit and the large beast, which was still asleep. However, they could tell it was only sleeping very lightly. Too much noise and it would almost certainly wake up.

"What do we do now? Huh?" Ducky asked, trembling slightly at the sight of the carnivore. Cera looked around. At the top of a nearby slope, she could see a large boulder. If it were knocked right, it would hit the Sharptooth.

"You guys wait here and get ready to run." she whispered. The other two nodded as Cera started to climb up. It was steep and she slipped a couple of times.This sent a few stones tumbling backward, hitting the Sharptooth right in the nose and (yes, you guessed it!) woke it up.

"Uh-oh!" Petrie said. The Sharptooth got to its feet and began to search for prey. Just as its eyes rested on Cera, Petrie leapt into the air and flew up to the hunter's eyes and started to peck them as hard as he could. The Sharptooth roared loudly, trying to swat the annoying Flyer, but its arms were too short. Cera hurried up to the top and started to push against the boulder. Though it took longer than she would have liked, the rock finally gave way and tumbled down to the monstrous juggernaut, hitting square in the stomach. It was forced back against the cavern wall, hitting its head and getting knocked out cold. As the dust settled, Cera, Petrie and Ducky looked up. After a second of silence, they cheered over their victory. Cera slid down the slope and ran over to the other two.

"Come on guys!" she said, joyfully. "Let's get outta here!" And with that, they were out of the cavve and on their way to the forest.

In the valley, Pterano was enraged that the lava had, once again, risen, preventing him from clearing the way to his prize. _"We would have been much further ahead by now if Petrie were here!"_ he thought. _"If only Ark had not been so stupid! Why do these things always happen to me?"_ Though Petrie was gone, he had to admit that at least there was no chance of the other kids interfereing...yet...

Once they had gotten used to the blinding light of the dessert, Cera and the others were steadily making their way across. As Cera walked, Ducky rode on her back. Petrie had thoughtfully tired to fly up as high as he could to make his shadow big enough to shade them, but he had had to come down, due to exhaustion.

"I hope Spike and Littlefoot are okay. I do." Ducky said aloud. Petrie and Cera felt the same, but they were too tired to reply. Presently, Cera came to a stop and began to sniff the sand.

"Why you stop?" Petrie asked. Cera sniffed again.

"I think I'm picking up Littlefoot's scent!" Cera said. "He went that way!" Petri and Ducky cheered until Ducky thought of something.

"What about Spike?" she asked. Cera sniffed again.

"Nothing." she replied. Mybe they were separated and he's still in the cave. We can use follow Littlefoot's tracks backward to find him!" Ducky clapped happily.

"Oh yes!" she said, jumping up and down. "Yes, yes, yes! Let us do that!"

"Wait!" Petrie said. "What about Littlefoot and Ali?" Cera thought for a moment.

"If Littlefoot has found the forest, it's up to him to find Ali." she said. "It's up to **us** to find Spike." And with that, she started to follow Littlfoot's tracks back toward the cave. Eventually, they reached the cave and were able to find Spike's tracks heading in another direction.

"Why they go different ways?" Petrie asked. Cera shrugged.

"Who cares?" she asked. "Doesn't matter as long as we find them both." And so they continued onward, now following Spike's trail. THey knew the lava incident had side-tracked them. But with the knowledge that Littlefoot was well on the way to finding Ali and that they would soon find Spike, nothing could prepare them for the horror that awaited them when they realised that Spike's trail led right over the edge of a very large drop.

"Oh no..." Cera whispered...

TO BE CONTINUED...


	29. Spike's Fate

Spike's Fate by megacharizard

When Littlefoot finally awoke, he was lying in a shallow river, with his head on top of Ali's back. He stood up, no longer feeling tired and shook himself. He noticed Ali's head was resting on the bank of the river, inches away from the water. A little closer, and she would have suffocated. He nuzzled her gently, to awaken her. She opened her eyes and looked around.  
"What happened?" she asked. "Where are we?"  
"You tell me." Littlefoot sighed. "I've got no idea." They looked up-river to see a very small waterfall over which they must have fallen. At the top, the water was still raging.  
"We better follow the river back up I guess." Ali said, struggling to her feet. Though she was no longer in pain, her leg was horribly stiff and she could put no weight on it, lest it buckle immediately.  
"Yeah, we'd better hurry and get there before the others arrive." Littlefoot agreed. But as they started, they ran into a problem right away. To get to the top of the waterfall, they would have to use the boulders that were lying around. However, they were too high for either of them to jump up on and Ali's leg would only add to the problem.  
"Now what?" she said, more to herself than Littlefoot. Littlefoot walked over to the nearest rock and looked all around it.  
"I...have an idea..." he said, hesitantly, "...but we're gonna have to work together to get up."  
"What do you have in mind?" Ali asked...

Meanwhile, Cera, Ducky and Petrie had been shocked into silence by what they had realised. Could it be true that Spike was gone? Only a month or so ago, they had wondered the same thing about Littlefoot and Ali. Finally, Petrie broke the silence.  
"Me gonna fly down there and find Spike!" he said, with great determination, especially for such a small creature. "Me make sure that he okay!" And with that, he leapt of the the edge of the drop, and swooped down into the shadows.  
"W-will Spike be...okay?" Ducky asked, timidly. Cera struggled to find an answer that was both comforting...and truthful.  
"I...I don't know..." she said finally...

Littlefoot's plan was simple enough to understand. First, Ali would help push Littlefoot up onto a boulder, and then he would help pull her up onto it as well. They could keep going like this until they reached the top. True, there would be a certain loss of dignity, but that was not really a reason to not do it.  
"Okay, ready?" Littlefoot asked. Ali nodded, neither of them were too thrilled about the task. At the first rock, Littlefoot started to pull himself up while Ali pushed from below. With nothing for him to grip onto, Ali was doing most of the work. He was almost there, but Ali's leg finally gave way and the two Longnecks fell into a heap on the ground. After picking themselves out of the dirt, they looked at eachother for a second before they both burst out laughing"Well **that** didn't go well." Ali giggled, nuzzling Littlefoot affectionately.  
"Guess we'll have to try again." Littlefoot said, nuzzling her back. "Will you be okay?"  
"Of course I will." Ali replied. "Don't worry about me." And so they tried again...and again...and **again**. Luckily, on their fourth attempt, Littlefoot managed to make it up. He then lowered his tail for Ali to grab. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he struggled to pull her up, while she braced her legs aginst the stone. At last, they made onto the top of the rock.  
"So far so good." Littlefoot said, optimistically. Ali looked up.  
"We still have some way to go though." she remarked. And with that, they continued working on reaching the top.

As Petrie flew further and further down, he grew more and more worried that Spike was not okay. This worry urged him to move faster, unable to take the suspense. At last, he reached the point where he could go no further. How could Spike have survived a fall like **this**? He shuddered. Then he remembered something. When he had started down, he had come across a ledge, not very far down from the top which led into a tunnel. If Spike had landed on **that**, he would be okay. And so, he began his flight upward again, trying to hope for the best...

Though they were having a harder time physically, Littlefoot and Ali were actually enjoying themselves. With no Sharpteeth around for once, their task was almost like a game.  
"We're almost at the top!" Littlefoot called, as Ali helped push him up onto the next boulder.  
"Great!" Ali replied. "I'm exhausted!" Littlefoot lowered his tail and Ali climbed up to his level. They were silent for a moment, their panting being the only sound.  
"Just three more, I think." Littlefoot said, looking upward. "You ready?" Ali nodded and started to push him up again. And so the tiresome climb went on until they, at last, reached the top.  
"Finally!" gasped Ali. "Don't wanna...do that again... for a while." Littlefoot, too tired to bother with answering, just nodded in response.  
"Okay, let's go." he said, once he got his breath back. With Ali's bad leg, their pace was still horribly slow, but it was the best they could do.  
"So did you enjoy that?" Ali asked, as a joke. Littlefoot smiled.  
"I won't dignify that answer with a question." he replied. It took a moment for either of them to realise his slip of the tongue.  
"You won't dignify that what with a what?" Ali asked, laughing.  
"Oh, you know what I mean!" Littlefoot replied, sarting to laugh too. So, things didn't seem too bad for Littlefoot and Ali at the moment, But what of the others?

Cera and Ducky were still waiting at the top for Petrie to appear, praying that he had good news. Neither could think of anything to say. But then, they were not really trying to think of anything. They just wanted to know that Spike was alright. Suddenly, a roar came from the shadows. As the two young dinosaurs turned to look, the Sharptooth they had knocked out before, which was sporting a rather large bump on its head, leapt out of the darkness and tried to stirke at them. Instinctively, Cera scooped Ducky up onto her back and ran, desperate to get as far away from those hideous jaws as possible. The Sharptooth, of course, gave chase to them, not willing to give up a meal. As they ran off, the cavern was left empty. There would be no-one to welcome Petrie back...

Speaking of which, Petrie had reaced the ledge, not long after Cera and Ducky had been chased away. He flew into the tunnel and began to follow it along.  
"SPIKE?" he called. "WHERE YOU HIDING?" In such aconfined space, the sound of the talkbacks nearly deafened the plucky little Flyer. He sniffed the ground and was overjoyed to find Spike's scent. It wouldn't be long now...

As Littlefoot and Ali walked along,they were able to relax for a bit. Having each suffered so many hardships recently, it seemed only fair that they should have some peace for a change.  
"This seems..." Littlefoot began, but he trailed. Ali looked at him.  
"What were you going to say?" she asked. Littlefoot looked slightly apprehensive.  
"I was gonna say that this seems to be a quiet time we're having at the moment, but I didn't wanna jinx it." Ali nuzzled him, tenderly.  
"Well it's about time we had some peace." she said. "Let's just hope it lasts." Littlefoot nodded and licked her cheek, lovingly. She was right after all. They **did** deserve some peace and the longer it lasted, the better. But, for Littlefoot and his friends...peace never lasts long...

TO BE CONTINUED...

A/N: Merry Christmas everybody!


	30. A Friendship Threatened

**A Friendship Threatened** by Green Dragon

At last! Here it is, the latest chapter and not a minute too soon. Once again, I really am sorry about the delay, but writer's block really did have a grip on me(sorry I can't come up with a more original excuse Mewtwo ;-)). I can't promise that it's gone and that I'll have the next chapter out anytime soon, but that doesn't mean the next one will take half a year too. As I said before, no matter how long it takes, I will get this done. Just thank you to everyone for being so patient.

Despite their slow pace, Littlefoot and Ali soon reached the dessert and were forced to endure the baking heat of the Bright Circle. Inching along, they heard the roars of a Sharptooth, not too far away. Littlefoot looked up in fear.

"Not now." He knew they were vulnerable with Ali in her condition. "Please not now." She nuzzled him tenderly.

"Easy." her voice was soothing. "We don't know that this thing's gonna come after us, there may be other dinosaurs somewhere nearby." They both fell silent, taking in the somewhat selfish relief in knowing their lives were to be spared by the loss of another. But if only they had known whom the Sharptooth was after...

Cera the Threehorn. This little one has always claimed to be so strong, so fearless. As is the nature of her species, she follows her father's belief that to be a Threehorn is to to be uncaring of those believed to be less perfectly evolved. But in spite of her father's lessons, she does care for others. Despite her brave face, she does fear. And now, that fear is at its peak. It is only just outstripped by her care and concern for her friend Ducky. And that is her true strength. Far greater than the strength her father believes all of her race to posess. For as the mighty Sharptooth opened its jaws wide and threatened to end her friend's life, too soon after it had started, she selflessly threw the young duckbill out of harm's way, oblivious to the danger she had put herself in. The fiend behind her struck, but fell short. Cera held out her tail to Ducky. The young Swimmer understood immediately. She grapped onto the flesh covered lifeline and was lifted to safety. Or, at least it was safety in comparison to her previous situation.

Running for the both of them now, Cera quickened her paced, urged by the responsibility for her friend's life.Not far ahead, lay a chasm, deep as a mountain. A small narrow strip of rock lay across, forming a small bridge. Too small for the demon behind. But large enough to suit the brave Threehorn's needs. Yes, she is brave. Brave enough for all five of her friends. And though she does not know of the difference between courage and fearlessness, both are of the most admirable of qualitys. She ran across the bridge, not stopping to confront her fear of heights. Now was not the time. Reaching the otherside, she continued on, knowing that to stop and watch her pursuer's efforts could be fatal, should her plan fail.

Sharpteeth. Seen as the form of evil by those who have evolved to a form where they do not need to feast on innocent flesh to sustain themselves. But in the end, these carnivorse, ranging from the size of chickens to the size of mutli storey buildings, are only doing what comes natrually to them. Only doing what they need to survive. They feel no remorse for the consequences of their hunts. They feel no pity for the lives they take. Perhaps evolving to a higher state in which they were prepared to sacrifice themselves to allow the herbivores to flourish is what ultimately caused their extinction, rather than a meteor. Myabe not. But at least until that time, all their minds do is allow them to sustain themselves, regardless of whom it affects. They are in effect, machines. Dedicated to their job. They do not feel, they do not think. Thus they are well known for their lack of brain power. The Sharptooth that gave chase to the Threehorn and Swimmer was a prime example. It did not see the chasm ahead. It did not register that the bridge was too small. It would keep its eyes trained on its prey. It would chased them no matter what. And then, ultimately, it would die. As it leapt off the ledge of the chasm, it seemed to fly for a moment. As powerful and majestic as the Flyer back in the Great Valley, who was working on the most insidious of plots. Then, gravity took hold. The mighty beast, king of the tyrants, fell. And as it fell, it gave one last roar. Not a roar of chase, not a roar to signal others and certainly not a roar of triumph. Just a roar...of defeat.

Ducky the Swimmer. Whatever methods her mother and father had employed in raising her, they had truly done an admirable job. Sweet, loving and rarely seen without a smile on her face, Ducky is one who anyone would be privaledged to meet. With courage that greatly outmatches her physical size, a deep loyalty to her friends and family and a desire for things to always be well, it would be a great tragedy to lose her to a Sharptooth's jaws. But this day, she was saved by her friend. To you and to me, being saved from death by another would be something extraodinary. But to these two very different dinosaurs, saving eachother's lives was second nature to them.

Ducky dismounted from Cera's back and panted out of relief more than fatigue. The roars still echoed, but soon, they would be just a memory. Once more they had diced with death, and won.

"Thank you Cera." She hugged her friend who accepted it with an out of character bashfulness.

"Don't mention it." Her reply was akward, as it always was in such a situation. Ducky was used to it and knew it would never change. Not she had any real desire for it to be different anyway.

"We'd better get back to where we were. Petrie may be back already." With the danger gone, the situation of Spike was now back in his foster sister's mind.

"I hope he has good news." Ducky's voice was as small as her body. "I do." Cera nuzzled her gently.

"I know he has."

Presently, Littlefoot and Ali reached the hole he had used to get out into the dessert. With little more than a few grazes each, they were able to push through into the cave. Immediately, Littlefoot noticed Spike's absence. This worried him greatly. His choice to abandon the Spifetail to find Ali was a terrible choice to make, and it would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Where is he?" He tried not to let his growing panic into his voice, but his efforts were in vain.

"Where's who?" Ali was concerned to see him this worried.

"Last time I passed through here, I left Spike here. Where'd he go, I thought he would wait for me."

"Why would you leave him here?" Littlefoot now feared what was about to transpire. It was bad enough to constantly wonder if he had made the right choice. But now Ali would make a decision too. Afraid of what she would think of him when he told her, he briefly considered the idea of lying to her, but threw this thought away immediately. It was bad enough that he would be sinking in her estimation already. There was no need to make it worse...

Littlefoot the Longneck. To have suffered such sadness as he has done is unfortunate. To experience it so young is tragic. Having lost his mother and being kept away from his father, it is a wonder that he is so thoughtful and kind to others. He has his grandfather's sharp mind, his grandmother's caring nature, his mother's fierce courage and his father's leadership qualities. He was one of the first to see through the prejudice that other dinsoaurs felt to other species. Often ridiculed by others for his lasting friendships with Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike, from the way he has turned out, he is truly a wonder. But don't go thinking he is without flaw. He has many. While he does not care for the discriminating remarks others make about his choice of friends, the opinons of him belonging to those he holds dear are important to him. He is loved and will one day be respected for his courage, intelligence, leadership and most importantly his kindness. But should he lose that respect from his friends and family, then he would truly would be unable to go on. And right now, he faces that danger.

"I had to leave Spike because he was too big to fit through the hole." Littlefoot stared at the ground, but even that seemed to mock him as Ali realised the full extent of what had happened.

"You abandoned him." She knew why. She knew it had been for her. But she could not appreciate the sacrifice of a friend, even if it was for her own life. "How could you?" Littlefoot looked at her, pain in his eyes.

"I **had** to!" The pain now spread to his voice. "We set out to find you, we knew it would be dangerous. Blue Flyer made it sound like you were in trouble, I didn't have time to find another way through! I...I didn't have time to think."

Ali the Longneck. It is difficult to believe that one who had been raised to be as prejudiced as all other dinosaurs he had met could ever become Littlefoot's best friend. It is next to impossible to think that she could have been more. But she was not to be blamed for what she believed. These thoughts were implanted in her mind by her parents at an age too young for her to question their wisdom. In spite of this, she grew up to be as every bit as loving as brave as Littlefoot could be. Her playful nature appealed to his own and she had a way of quietening the seriousness inside him that grows with the responsibility of leadership. At the same time, his forwardness helped her with her shyness of others. The prejudice that she was raised on never prompted her to look down on other species, but in fact, caused her to fear them. That made her different from those who believed their own specie was superior. She knew she was not supposed to associate with different dinosaurs, but she did not know why. A mind such as hers could never believe that it was because those others were inferior to her. Perhaps that is what Littlefoot saw in her in the first place. That her fear was not based on arrogance, but fear of the unknown. He had shown her the truth and for that, she would be forever grateful. It had helped her develop a knack for seeing the best in others. And now, she would need every bit of it to forgive Littlefoot for the choice he had made. But she owed it to him to try.

Her first argument was of course:

_"He did it because he loves me."_ But if he would be willing to sacrifice his dearest friends just for her, was his love as valuable as she thought? Then she thought about the sacrifice she had made in coming to see him in the first place. She had left her family, unsure of when she would ever see them again. In doing so, she had lured them to the valley, holding them up and leading them into the trap set for them by the Sharpteeth in the forest. In a way, her love for him had led to what could very well be the death of her entire herd. So was she really any better? But then, she could have never anticipated such a consequence of her decision. Littlefoot was well aware of the danger Spike would be in if left alone. She glanced at his pained face and recalled his words.

("I didn't have time to think.") Then she understood. He had been faced with a terrible choice. To choose between a friend who he could help immediately or to help a friend he valued more who was further away. A decision of such horrific magnitude must have been almost unbearable to make. She imagined herslef in his position. Would she have had the courage to make the more logical choice of staying with the one she valued less, despite his much greater chances of survival? She silently prayed she would never be forced to find out.

His tight breathing prompted her to look up. Tears fell from his eyes as he feared the worst. He expected her to yell at him. To scream at him. He would have been glad to get this so well earned reward from anyone else. Cera, Ducky, Petrie, even his gradparents. But from her. Not from her. He couldn't stand for her to think any less of him, but now it was going to happen and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. She nuzzled him and licked at his tears.

"It's alright." She spoke softly, as if comforting a child who had woken from a nightmare. "I understand." The tears still flowed, but the blow he had feared never came. Though he still cursed himself for making that dreadful choice, he found his admiration of her to be stronger than ever. To summon the will to forgive him for what he had done. Truly she was the best thing to ever happen to him.

Petrie the Flyer. The smallest of his friends, yet capable of reach places far higher than any of the others could hope to reach, one would think this would fill him with a sense of arrogance. Perhaps he would be too, had his uncle not been exiled for his crimes. Had Pterano been with him all his life, perhaps he too would have believed that Flyers were destined to rule the world. Though he helps his uncle in the monumental task of granting freedom to the 'Lost Souls', he does it simply out of compassion for others, not greed for power. To be of such a small size, it is only natrual that fear should be a great emotion within him. Yes this little one fears many things, and his blind devotion to his uncle makes up the second of his flaws. But then, is his allegience to uncle blind? Or does he see something his friends do not see? Is there some good inside the one we know as Pterano? Or has delusions of power and glory driven it from his troubled heart? This is an answer Petrie dearly wishes to find, just so he can be certain. But for now, we shall let him continue his task. The task of finding the foster brother of his best friend. Ironic. Littlefoot has been the one Petrie has looked up to the most in life. He is everything Petrie has ever wanted to be. Brave, intelligent and yet humble. But now, though both are unaware of it, Petrie is now the only one who has a chance of saving Littlefoot. By finding Spike, the others will forgive and forget his mistake. Should Petrie fail, then his idol, his friend, will be forever outcast...

As Littlefoot and Ali followed Spike's scent, they finally arrived in the cavern which served as nesting ground to the chasm in which he had fallen. At its edge, stood Ducky and Cera, both slightly short of breath. Ali's face lit up as she saw her old friends.

"Cera! Ducky!" Her injury and Spike momentarily forgotten, she hobbled over to them. Surprised to see her too, they rose and greeted her. So happy they were, they did not notice Littlefoot standing away from them, reserved, feeling unwelcome.

"Littlefoot, you found her! Yep, yep, yep!" Ducky hugged ali as Cera laughed. Until she noticed Littlefoot was not joining in.

"Hey, what's up with you?" Littlefoot looked up and walked towards the group, his face darkened with seriousness.

"Where's Petrie?" Cera and Ducky were instantly reminded of Spike. Ali stood by Littlefoot and licked his face in support, just missing the eyes of the others.

"You're probably not gonna want to hear this...but we found Spke's scent and followed it here. It leads over the edge of this drop." Cera suddenly sounded unusually dry and hoarse. Littlefoot and Ali's eyes widened as they rush to the edge and peered down.

"Petrie went to look for him." Ducky added, now miserable again. Littlefoot turned a deathly pale as the blood drained from his face.

"What have I done?" His voice was barely a whisper, but everyone heard it. Cera walked toward him, just a hint of anger in her eye. Somehow she just knew that he was to blame for this tragedy.

"What are you talking about?" Littlefoot suddenly thought it might be wise not stand so near the edge with Cera right behind him. He moved to a somewhat safer position. And found her's and Ducky's eyes on him. Ali looked away, deciding only to intervene should Littlefoot need help.

"This...is my fault." He bowed his head as they took this in. "I'm sorry Ducky...I'm sorry." The little duckbill dropped to her hands and knees and wept for her foster brother.

"How...how could you?" she asked. Littlefoot turned away. This only served to anger Cera.

"You...you led him to his...to his DEATH!" Littleefoot said nothing. And that was the final thing needed to blow her fuse. She lowered her head, and charged...

TO BE CONTINUED...


	31. The Burden of Leadership

**The Burden of Leadership** By Green Dragon

For one moment, just one, time stood still. Everything was silent. At least this is how it was for Ali and Ducky. But as time seemed to come to a halt, they did too. Unable to move, it was all they could do to watch. Watch as their friends began their fight. Cera, the hotheaded, irrational one who believed she was taking revenge for the loss of another. Littlefoot, the one who in just the last few moments had realised just how horrific the task of being a leader can be. Time stood still. Stood for what seemed to be an eternity. But eternity just wasn't long enough.

He saw her charging for him. He knew what she intended to do. He made no effort to stop it. He didn't run, he didn't cower. All he allowed himself to do was brace for the impact. After all, he had earned this, hadn't he?

_"It's my fault." _These were the thoughts that flowed through his head. _"I left Spike behind. But Ali...she needed help, didn't she? Was I wrong to go to her? Would abandoning her to help Spike have been the right choice? I don't think I'll ever know...but I'll always think the wor-"_

Before the thought left his mind, time started again. And as time started, he felt the impact. He felt her horn bury itself into his chest. He cried out in pain as he fell to the ground. He collapsed into a fit of coughing as he held his front paw over the wound. It wasn't deep, but it was enough to draw blood. Suddenly, a voice broke through the fog of pain.

"Cera, stop it!" It was Ali. "Bickering isn't gonna get us out of this!" Cera turned to her.

"No," she said, "but thinking before deciding to leave someone behind, **might've**!" It was then that Littlefoot struggled back to his feet, trying to keep the coughing down.

"If you...have something to say Cera..." he began, "say it." She sneered and butted him again, harder than before. Once again, Littlefoot made no move to dodge defend himself, he simply took it and went down again.

"What were you thinking? How could you even **think** of leaving Spike behind? Where's you head?" Littlefoot grunted in pain, prompting Ali to come over to him. As she did so, another voice spoke up. A shy, somewhat timid, yet gentle voice. Ducky.

"You know Cera, he cannot answer your questions if you keep hitting him. He cannot." Ali agreed.

"That's right. Fighting isn't going to help, so why do it?" Cera was astonished.

"I can't believe you two! He left Spike when he was in trouble, and now you're ganging up on **me**!"

"Because you're not giving him a chance to explain why. Do you really think for one second that he actually **wanted **to leave Spike behind? We all do things for a reason. Now what do you think his was?"

"All I know is if it weren't for him, Spike would still be here!"

"And if it wasn't for him," Ali spoke softly now, "I wouldn't." Ducky spoke up again.

"She is right. If Littlefoot hadn't been here, we would have lost both of them." Cera rounded on the small duckbill.

"I don't believe that coming from you! You don't **care** that he let your brother die?" Ducky looked down, trying her hardest to will the tears away.

"Don't, just...don't." The young Threehorn looked around to see Ali and Littlefoot, yes even Littlefoot, giving her dissaproving looks. Ali's, she could understand, but Littlefoot? He held no moral highground, how dare he?

"Oh, so what you're saying is it doesn't matter what **he** does, but if I try and defend someone, I'm doing the wrong thing just because of what I said. Now how is that fair? **he's** the one who's responsible for all this! I always knew it was a mistake to let him be the leader!" Ali took a step towards her.

"That's just the lowest! Littlefoot's a great leader and you know it! You think you could have done a better job?"

Ali was already for Cera to make her next argument. But that argument didn't come from her. It came from Littlefoot.

"Ali...she's right." Everyone turned to him, wearing looks of disbelief. "Whatever the right choice was, I didn't make it. I know I didn't. And what's worse is I know Grandpa would've made the right choice, I know Dad would. But I didn't. And I tried to lead as good as them, and I wish I was better at it, but I'm not. But that's that, I can't just change. Ducky," he turned to the smaller dinosaur, "I'm sorry I let you down. I tried to make the right choice, and I was sure I had. I guess I was just kidding myself."

Ducky looked up at him. She had given up fighting to keep her tears down and now let the water run free. She did not scream, she did not yell. But then, who would expect her to? It just wasn't in the nature for one like her. But she was still hurt. And that showed through now.

"Why did you do it?" her voice was smaller than ever. She didn't want to upset him further, she always thought of the feelings of others. But right now, she had to know. "Why did you leave him there?"

Of all things he expected himself to do, Littlefoot had not counted on letting a smile work its way onto his face. Why was there a smile? This was a sad moment. Simple. Because even in her worst moment, Ducky was doing what Cera couldn't. She was giving him a chance to explain. She was being considerate. She was being kind. She was being...Ducky. But now he had his chance to explain. And even though he didn't want to make them forgive him, hell he didn't forgive himself, he had to at least make them understand.

Every leader has his or her own way of doing things. Some believe in democracy, others in dictatorship. Differences in leaders can be easily seen. Between Littlefoot and Pterano, the difference is clear. Pterano leads those he sees only as allies. Ones who can help him further his own needs. Littlefoot leads only those he sees as friends. Those who choose to follow. That is why, as Littlefoot grieves for Spike, Pterano's thoughts do not even acknowledge Ark's death anymore. There was a time not long ago where he shed tears for the uneccesary loss, but now he thinks of it no more. He mind, his body, and his very soul are all dedicated to one purpose. Power. He craves it desperately. And the more he thinks of his younger years, the times in which he was scorned by toher species for being built as such a weak creature, times when he would listen to his father who would share tales about the Flyers of the past, the more his lust grows.Now, he rarely eats, he rarely sleeps, he rarely sees the light of day. Almost all his time is spent in that tiny, claustrophobic tunnel, trying to haul away the large heavy rocks with his fragile, light arms. Rax, still mournful of Ark's loss everynow and then, spend significantly less time in the tunel, thus Pterano was undergoing a very unpleasent change.

With his lack of rest and nourishment, he was growing ever more stressful. His temper was on a short fuse and whenever he did spend anytime with Rax, they would argue frequently, sometimes, very close to violently. Therefore, Rax spent less and less time in the caves with Pterano, another reason may have been due to the female Flyer he had met one afternoon. Now with the added lack of companionship, Pterano was also swiftly becoming more and more antisocial. When he found it neccesary to venture outside for food, he had begun to start sleeping in the cave itself, he kept to himself and did not even notice the other adults fretting about their missing children.

One thing was for sure. If ever one was to doubt the old saying the power corrupts those who seek it, they need only look to Pterano to see why such a saying had come to life.

"I had to do something." Littlefoot began. "I thought Spike would be okay, I didn't think an earthshake was gonna come along. We set out to find Ali, and I wanted to see it through no matter what." Ali went a dark shade of crimson. Though it may have been the truth, she didn't like to think that Littlefoot may very well have sacrifised Spike for her. "I didn't think I had time to find a way out that Spike and I could both fit through, and truth is, I was right. When I found Ali, it wasn't long before we were attacked by Sharpteeth. I could have just stood there, trying to choose between Ali and Spike, but there wasn't time. I had to make a choice!" He now turned to Cera. "And you might say it's heartless to weigh things out like that, but what's worse? To stand there, not making a choice because you don't want to put one friend before the other or to choose one to save because you know that when it comes down to it, you just aren't good enough to save both!"

Littlefoot blinked, shocked at his own outburst. He knew he had just revealed a very personal secret of his. One he had wanted to stay secret. He didn't want the others to know he so often felt inadequate when trying to accomplish something. But now it was out. And even so, that didn't even matter. Though he had admitted this secret to them, what was worse was he had now admitted it to himself. And with that, he let himself drop to the ground, as the tears began to flow.

As the other two took in what Littlefoot had said, Ali walked over to him and nuzzled him tenderly. She licked away his tears and tried her best to comfort him. Cera saw her and her anger started to come back.

"Don't tell me you're defending him after that little speech!" Ali looked up and stared at her defiantly.

"And what if I am? You heard what he said. I don't know about you, but I can't even imagine how terrible it must have been to make that kind of decision. And right or worng, at least he tried. What would you have done?"

"It doesn't matter what 'I would have done', what matters is speech or not, he still could have stopped Spike from dying, but he didn't!"

"And how was he supposed to know what was going to happen? He trusted Spike on his own, was that wrong?"

"You can keep asking what's right and what's wrong 'til the Clubtails come home, but it's still his fault!" Once again, that ever so quiet voice spoke up.

"I do not think that." Ali, Cera and even Littlefoot turned to face Ducky. She clasped her hands behind her back nervously. "I do not think it is his fault. I do not." Ali tried hard not to let her mouth hand open.

"You...mean that?" Ducky nodded.

"I do. I think it was just a horrible accident, and I want us to stop talking about it." Cera took a step forward.

"But Ducky, he-"

"I **said** I want to stop **talking** about it!" Everyone flinched slightly at her outburst. Littlefoot got to his feet and approached.

"Ducky, I-"

"It is alright Littlefoot. I forgive you. I do." Littlefoot was amazed. Only Ducky's spirit could be so strong.

"I...I...thankyou." He bowed his head and backed away. Ali sideled up to him and nuzzled him again. Somehow, to have the dinosaur closer to Spike than any toher forgive him for the loss of Spike made the knot of guilt withing him feel less tight. Ducky had forgiven him. Ali had never doubted him for a moment. One look at Cera to see she still had a face like thunder was enough to guess her estimation of him. Now he could only wonder how Petrie would take the news when he heard it.

"I don't care what the rest of you say!" Cera could hold it longer. "I still say this is all Littlefoot's fault!" Ali moved to protest, but Littlefoot stopped her. He walked over to her with no look of anger or sadness in his eyes. All that was there seemed to be a strange tiredness.

"Well Cera, you can say what you want. But it doesn't make any difference, does it? What's done is done. And as guilty as I may feel, and as much as you might hate me now, none of that will bring him back, so you may as well just give this all a rest now. Nothing you do means anything." Cera shot him a look that in all earnest shocked him to his very core. It wasn't a look of irritation or annoyance or anger. It was a face of a pure, brutal lust for revenge. a Demon who would not be satisfied until it had what it desired.

"Don't you dare, don't you **dare** think you can tell me what to do!" she screamed. "Maybe nothing I do makes a difference, but that isn't gonna stop me! I'm gonna make you pay for what you did!" Once again, she lowered her head and charged. This time, there was no slowing of time, no freezing, no stopping. But there didn't need to be. For in the few short seconds before Cera would make what very well could have been a lethal impact on Littlefoot, a voice rang out. A voice that until now had been absent. A voice that shouted two words. Two, tiny, monosyllabic words which, even though spoken with astonishingly poor grammar, were enough to stop Cera from making the biggest mistake of her life. In those short few seconds, Petrie cried out:

"HE ALIVE!"

TO BE CONTINUED...


	32. A Rockin' Rescue!

**A/N:** Hahahahaha! New chapter at last! The voices in my head said I wouldn't get it done, but who's laughing NOW? ME! That's who!

Ooooooookay, so I was wrong about the next chapter not taking half a year, but hey, great novels take time to craft, right? Like I said, I'm not giving up on this. I will finish it eventually. (Again, very, very, very, very, very sorry about the delay, please don't hit me)

**A Rockin' Rescue!** Green Dragon

"HE ALIVE!" Those two words had had more of an affect on his friends than Petrie has expected. Cera had stopped in mid charge and was now staring up at the Flyer, her jaw hanging open. Littlefoot was staring at the ground, muscles tensed as if he hardly dared to look up at all. Ali had been just bout to step in Cera's way and upon hearing Petrie's news, had stumbled and fallen over in surprise. She had hurt her bad leg in doing so, but kept it quiet. Ducky was looking up at Petrie, tears in her eyes. Maybe tears of sadness, maybe tears of hope, maybe both.

"Petrie…" Ali began. Petrie swooped down.

"Oh, hey Ali, me no see you in a long-" Littlefoot interrupted him.

"Petrie. Please tell me you're talking about Spike." Petrie nodded, a wide smile spreading out on his beak. For a moment, Littlefoot hardly dared to believe it. Then he let out a breath he never knew he had been holding in relief. Ducky let out a loud sob and hugged Petrie tightly.

"Thank you Petrie! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she cried. Petrie struggled.

"Petrie…can't….breathe!" Ali and Littlefoot both laughed at his little outburst. Then, one by one, everyone turned to Cera. She had been quiet during this whole encounter. The moment Littlefoot made eye contact with her, his eyes quickly darted elsewhere. Even though he was now free from guilt, he still couldn't bring himself to look her in the face.

Cera on the other hand, was feeling very uncomfortable. She could see the small injuries she had caused Littlefoot. Injuries he didn't deserve. And to think of what she had been about to do just as Petrie reached them…. Her pride still could not allow her to apologise though. Luckily for her, Ali decided to make things easier. She couldn't blame Cera for her reactions and could imagine how hard it must be right now to face the others.

"Well what are waiting for?" she asked. "Let's find him, I think it's time we were all together again!"

* * *

In the Valley, Pterano and Rax were still hard at work clearing the rocks. As he set down yet another stone, Pterano paused to wipe his brow. Flyers were not built for this sort of work, especially not here, inside a Smoking Mountain. But he would **not** give up. This was all part of the test. The test to see if he was worthy of the power. And it **would** be his.

Rax however, was starting to notice a great change in Pterano. He looked thinner. Too thin. His breathing was ragged. He knew that Pterano had barely eaten or slept in days. Too obsessed with the lost souls.

"_Ark."_ he thought. _"Why did you have to tell him the legend? It destroyed you. And now it's destroying him."_ As Pterano tried to lift yet another rock, only to drop it, he walked over.

"You should rest." he said. "I'll dig by myself for a while." Pterano shook his head.

"No." he croaked. He was shocked at how dry his mouth was. "Got to…..keep going…..have to keep….going……have to…." before he could get the words out, he collapsed. Rax looked at him for a moment before picking him up and dragging him away from the rocks.

"_Sorry Pterano. Like it or not, you're having a break."

* * *

_

"Alright Petrie, where's Spike?" Ali asked. Petrie flew into the air and down into the gorge. As the others watched him, he pointed to the ledge which had lead into the tunnel.

"He in there!" Petrie called up. "When me found him, me told him to come back this way, He be here soon!" The others all sighed in relief. But now they were faced with a problem.

"How do we get him back up?" Cera asked. The drop down to the ledge was sheer and too far for any of them to reach down and pull him up. They were suddenly shaken from their discussion by a familiar grunting sound.

"SPIKE!" Ducky had been the first to see him, standing on the ledge, trying to jump up at them. Now seeing him, everyone else yelled down to him as well.

"Hold on Spike!"

"We'll get you out!"

"Thank goodness you're alright!" Petrie landed on top of Littlefoot's head.

"How we get him out?" he asked. For a moment, Littlefoot stayed quiet. Having caused this problem, he knew it was up to him to clear it up. But then again, there was something in the back of his mind. Something telling him that he didn't deserve to talk to the others right now.

"I……I don't know." he finally said, helplessly. He quickly averted his eyes to the ground s he realised everyone was looking at him. Feeling for him, Ali decided to take the attention away from him.

"We need something to pull him up." she said. "Like a vine…or…or a stick…" Cera was about to point out that there were no vines or sticks nearby, but she too, felt too ashamed to talk. Everyone was beginning to feel uncomfortable now. It did not normally take this long to think up a plan. But that was mainly because Littlefoot and Cera were usually the ones doing it.

"Wait!" Ducky suddenly exclaimed. "I have an idea! I do!" All eyes went to her.

"Well let's hear it" Ali said. Ducky walked over to a large pile of rocks.

"We could lower some of these down onto the ledge that Spike is standing on. When there are enough-"

"Spike could climb up the rocks!" Ali finished.

"Yup, yup, yup!" Littlefoot looked up surprised.

"Ducky, that's brilliant!" he said, briefly forgetting his no-talking rule. The others all agreed. Ducky beamed with pleasure. It was not often that she got to come with the idea that saved the day.

Wasting no time, Littlefoot, Cera and Ali started hauling rocks over to the edges. They were large and heavy, so it wasn't long before they were tired, hungry and thirsty. At last, they were ready to begin pushing rocks down.

"Okay Spike, go back in tunnel!" Petrie called. "You no wanna be hit by rocks!" Spike whined in protest.

"Spike, go!" Ali called. But he wouldn't listen. Ducky looked up at Petrie.

"Petrie, can you fly me down to him? I might be able to get him to follow me into the tunnel. I might." Petrie nodded and flew her down. The moment Ducky touched down, Spike instantly pounced on her, licking her repeatedly.

"Spike!" Ducky cried, squealing with laughter. "Get off me! The others still have to save you! They do!" Eventually, Spike complied and stood up. Ducky and Petrie led him back into the tunnel.

"We ready!" Petrie called. The others began to push the first rock over the edge. It fell, but when it hit the ledge, it landed almost on the very edge. As they pushed the next rock over, it bounced off and went straight over the edge.

"Okay, this is gonna be harder than I thought." Ali said. "We need to be careful that we don't block them in." Still, neither Littlefoot nor Cera said anything. "Oooooookay, so I'm talking to myself…"

The next rock landed closer to the wall, and the one after right next to it. The third missed the ledge entirely.

"Okay, this is not looking good." Ali said. "We don't have many rocks left." Again, she was met with silence. "Somebody say something!"

Their next attempt was met with success. The rock landed neatly between the two rocks up against the wall.

"Okay guys, try that!" Ali called. Ducky led Spike out of the tunnels and watched as he began to climb. Although he made it up to the top rock successfully, he was still a few inches short of being able to grab the ledge. "I guess we need another rock then."

"Wait a second." Cera finally spoke up. "We can grab him from here and pull him up ourselves."

"That's gonna be difficult though, isn't it?" Ali asked. Cera looked at her for a moment in disbelief.

"Have you _seen_ how much he eats? Of **course** it's gonna be difficult!"

"Just checking…" Littlefoot lowered his tail down to Spike who grabbed with his jaws. Little foot then took Ali's who in turn, took Cera's. The three of them began to pull Spike up, each cursing evolution for not giving them arms.

"Keep going!" Petrie called. "You nearly there!" In an effort to be helpful, Ducky was trying to push Spike from down below. At long last, Spike was able to get his front legs up onto the top. Pulling himself up with them, he was able to do the rest alone. Just as did so, Ducky grabbed onto his tail, so she wouldn't be left behind. With Spike finally safe, Ali, Petrie and Ducky let out a collective cheer.

"Alright, we did it!" Ali cheered. She looked at Littlefoot and Cera, who were still looking depressed. "Oh you guys are so totally doing this on purpose now…"

TO BE CONTINUED…


	33. Abandoned

****

Abandoned Green Dragon 

"And so he says that the Longnecks stretched out their necks and caught the Bright Circle on their heads, and that's why they've had such long necks ever since. Isn't that the most ridiculous thing you ever heard? Longnecks save the world!"

"Actually I think that sounds kinda cool." Cera stared at Ali in amazement.

"You're joking, right?" Ali shook her head.

"What's wrong with it?"

"...Longnecks save the world!"

"You're just jealous because _your_ neck's not long enough to catch the Bright Circle." Ali teased.

"Ew, a long-necked Threehorn? That's just weird!"

"This coming from a Threehorn with only one horn..."

"Oh ha ha, they're still growing and you know it!" Ali and Cera continued to bicker playfully. Since making sure that Spike was okay, Ali had been guiding the group back to the valley, obviously knowing the wandering trails best. As a way of making up for her recent behaviour, Cera had offered to walk with Ali and support her, taking weight off her injured leg. Ali her guessed two or three days. Spike was walking not far behind, look decidely bored with himself. Petrie and Ducky rode on his back as Ducky tried, with little success, to teach Petrie a clapping game her mother had shown her. Littlefoot dawdled behind, still quiet after the incident in the cave. Since he had been so withdrawn, the others had looked to Ali as a temporary replacement leader.

She had found this to be an odd turn of events. No-one had said anything to her, they had just seemed to turn to her. She was somewhat unsure of herself. Never had she ever thougt of herself as a leader before. Growing up, she had always followed the Old One. On the other hand, she found it somehat flattering. To think that after Littlefoot and Cera, these dinosaurs considered her the best to make decisions admittedly boosted her ego a little. Still, she hoped Littlefoot would return to normal soon. She did not think this would be a position that would suit her permenantly.

With the entrance to the cave still blocked, the group had been forced to use the small hole Littlefoot had originally left Spike at to get out. Spike had again proved difficult on the subject of passing through the hole, but this time, he went first, while the other five had pushed from behind. A painful process to be sure, but eventually, it proved successful. They had then spent the rest of the afternoon, and a good deal of the evening circling around the cave to reach the other side. By the time they had finally reached the blocked up entrance, the sky was pitch black. Ali looked around at the group. They were all understandably exhausted. She wanted to suggest they all sleep for the time being, but she could not help feeling somewhat shy about actually giving orders.

"Um...o-okay guys, er...maybe we should...ah..s-spend the night here?" She hoped that no-one had noticed the way her voice had risen almost to a squeak by the end of the sentence. "Y-y'know, just as a-a suggestion." She added quickly. Her fears were unfounded. Whether the others were submitting to her orders, or were just too tired to protest, everyone sank to the ground. Ali let out a quiet sigh of relief and went to lie down next to Littlefoot.

Littlefoot had been idly kicking a small pebble back and forth with his front paws when he jumped slightly as he felt Ali's body brush up against his own. His blood red eyes were caught in a frown. Had Ali not known better, she would have sworn that he almost looked a little angry.

"Something up, Flathead?" She asked. She smirked as she noticed him grin unintentionally, before quickly resuming his serious face.

"Petrie told you that one, didn't he?" His voice was low and tired.

"Actually it was Cera. She mentioned something about small brains, but she assured me it's only the males who get affected." Ali sighed inwardly as Littlefoot's mood did not seem to lighten.

"Did she now?" Still the low, monotonous voice.

"I'll give you ten Treestars when we get back if you cheer up right now." Littlefoot attempted a small forced laugh, but Ali was not fooled. She nudged him gently. "How about you tell me what's wrong, and we go from there, okay?"

"I'd...rather not."

"I'll pout if you don't tell me. I mean it, there'll be lots of pouting! I'm not kidding around here!" On that threat, Littlefoot finally let out an honest, albiet small, laugh and Ali's smile grew.

"Look," Littlefoot spoke after a short silence, "it's not that I don't appreciate what you're doing, but I'd really just rather get some sleep." He crossed his front paws and rested his head on them. Ali looked up at the stars for a moment. Thinking to herself, she remembered an old phrase her mother used to tell her when she had had fallings out with other young members of her herd.

"You can never truly understand how another feels, until you walk in their footsteps." When she was younger, she had paid little attention to this pearl of wisdom. But, figuring it could not hurt to try, she thought about everything Littlefoot had been through recently. It did not take long for the answer to come to her.

"Would I be as crazy as a Clubtail if I were to ask if this has anything to do with Spike?" She looked down at him. His face was screwed up in thought, no doubt he was wondering if it was worth continuing to pretend to be alseep. "You can't tell, but I'm pouting at you right now!" Littlefoot finally opened his eyes and lifted his head up, an expression of slight amusement on his face.

"Are you always this annoying?"

"Yup."

"I see." He gasped suddenly as Ali suddenly blew air sharply into his eyes. He snapped them shut in reflex. "What was that for?" He blinked away the dryness.

"You said you see. Well now you don't!" In spite of himself, Littlefoot laughed along with Ali. He knew she was being a little goofy to try and cheer him up. "Anyway, you still have a question to answer, so let's hear it. Is Spike the reason why you're so down?" He sighed again. It seemed there was no hope of getting her off the topic. Still, there could be a chance that talking about it could help.

"Alright fine. You're right, it is because of Spike." His voice had dropped to whisper, not to keep the others from hearing, they were already alseep. But it was because he was shy to admit his troubles.

"Well what's the problem? Spike's safe, we're all together and we should be back in the Great Valley in a few days." Ali's voice was soft and gentle. Though he would not say it out loud, Littlefoot could not help but liken her voice to his mother's. The same softness, the same soothing tone. Even without listening to the words she was saying, he found the sound of her voice alone to be surprisingly comforting. Even so, it was not enough to quell his guilt entirely.

"I'm more relieved than anyone that Spike's okay. But Cera was right. I left him behind. He got into trouble because of me."

"But we saved him, didn't we?"

"It was Ducky's plan."

"So?"

"Well I..." He trailed off. He didn't know what to say, how could he? How could he tell her that if there had been one thing that would have made him feel better, it would have been him saving Spike alone? In some small way, it would have felt like could have at least corrected his own mistake. But to say so out loud seemed so childish, so petty. Of everyone, Ali was actually the worst one to talk to about this. She was the reason he'd left in the first place. The more he voiced his self blame, the more he worried that she would feel like he had regretted his decision to come and help her. However, the young Wanderer seemed to have read his mind.

"I can't imagine how hard it must have been to make the choice you did. But the way I see it, Spike wasn't in any danger at the time. If I'd had to make the decision, I would have done the same."

"But that still doesn't-"

"And let me also point out that because of your decision, both Spike and me are still here. If you'd chosen Spike, who knows what would have happened to me by now."

"Yeah, but-"

"I know things didn't exactly go according to plan, but in the end, we got pretty much the best outcome."

"Well I-"

In fact, I don't see how any other way could have worked."

"Look, I-"

"You know, in my herd, the Old One has had to make some hard choices."

"...Can I say something please?"

"Only if you want to say that I'm right."

"Um..."

"And that you're wrong and you'll never doubt me again."

"Hang on..."

"And that I'm really pretty and _way_ smarter that you."

"...You prattle. Anyone ever tell you that? You're a prattler." They both laughed out loud. Neither was sure when the conversation had stopped being serious, but they were both glad to be able to smile at least for a moment. Ali nuzzled Littlefoot's face lovingly and spoke softer than before.

"Look, what I'm saying is, when it comes down to it, right or wrong, you made a choice. Yoy said it yourself. What's worse? To make a choice and risk being wrong, or do nothing? Anyone of us could have had to make a choice like that. What you did was brave. Really brave. And to do just that. I think that was the right thing to do." That was all Littlefoot needed to hear. Not to hear that his choice was the right one. But that he had been right to choose. And suddenly, quite suddenly, it felt as if a large burden had been lifted. As if a throbbing pain had suddenly dulled. It was almost overpowering. He let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Thank you." He whispered.

"You're welcome." She smiled as he was silent, just breathing. As if just breathing alone was suddenly a new gift and he wanted to enjoy every moment of it. She nudged him. "Now take back what you said about me being a prattler!"

"Make me!" The two Longnecks laughed as they continued to tease eachother playfully. Ali was under no delusions. There would still be a way to go before Littlefoot would be comfortable enough to lead again. Ducky had been kind to say that she did not blame him. But she knew Littlefoot would still want to earn her forgiveness. And there was still unresolved tension between him and Cera. He would need her forgiveness too. But at least he had forgiven himself.

* * *

But while one soul had been calmed that night, another was still troubled. Petrie was worrying about Ali's condition. Not so much for her sake, selfish as it may have seemed, but worried about how much it would slow the group down. It had taken a full day to get from the Great Valley to where they were now. But with Ali's injury, the group had estimated that it would take maybe two or three days to get back home. Petrie was almost tempted to fly back ahead and get home early. But he'd never be able to explain to the others. They would think he was a coward and a deserter.

Maybe he should tell them the truth. Pterano had asked him not to say, but surely he'd understand in such a serious matter. But no, that wouldn't work. Even if the others did believe in the legend of the 'Lost Souls', Ali would simply use it to fuel her claim that Pterano was up to no good.

The little Flyer could not help but feel anger building up inside him. As he thought of Ali's potential reaction, he was reminded of the claims she made at Peacekeeper's Ledge a month ago. How she, who had never even _met_ Pterano, could have the nerve to accuse him of intentions that were anything less than noble made his blood boil. His anger fueled the paranoia of his assumption that she would once again make accusations of his uncle if he told them. That paranoia in turn, fueled his anger, as he felt that such accusations were a poor way to thank a friend who had come all this way to help her.

As his thoughts continued to plauge him, the idea of returning to the Valley ahead of time kept returning to him. Even with his anger, at first he kept to his original decision that he had to stick by the others no matter what. Eventually though, the idea became more and more appealing. Almost without knowing what he was doing, he rose to his feet and looked around. Littlefoot and Ali had fallen asleep. As he spread his wings and took off into the starry sky, his mind constantly rationalised the situation, telling him that the others would not need him and that they could get back just fine. As he began to move in the direction of the valley, his mind told him that the others would probably be better off with one less to worry about for the time being. As the group gradually faded away in the distance, his mind told him that when the others finally learned the truth, they would admit that he was right to do this. But even as they faded from sight entirely, he could not help feeling surprised that he did not believe that would be the case...

* * *

Due to their fatigue of the previous day, the sun had risen high long before Littlefoot, Ali, Cera, Ducky and Spike awoke. Ducky was the first to awaken. As she stretched, she thought about how she would have liked to have continued the dream she had been having had Spike not apparently found it _completely_ necessary to suddenly let out the largest snort possible. Now that it was light, she took a look around the area to see if there was any water nearby. Making her way quietly among the others, it was not long before she noticed that Petrie was nowhere in sight. She quickly scanned the area before heading back to the group to report his absence. Questions ran through her mind. Where was he? Had he left on purpose? Why would he go? Why wouldn't he tell them? What if he had been kidnapped? Or what if a Sharptooth took him? As a sickening feeling of fear nestled in her stomach, Ducky ran over to Ali. Had she not been panicking, she may have paid more attention to the lack of distance between her and Littlefoot.

"Wake up! Wake up! Petrie is missing, he is, he is!" She cried, shaking Ali as best she could. Her efforts paid off as Ali soon awoke.

"Ducky, what is it?" Ali moaned, still half asleep. Next to her, Littlefoot stirred a little but slept on.

"Petrie is missing!" The Swimmer repeated. Ali's eyes snapped open.

"Missing? What do you mean missing?"

"I looked all over for him but his is not here!" Ducky trembled slightly as she asked the question whose answer she dreaded. "W-what if a Sharptooth took him? In spite of the situation, Ali found herself smiling at Ducky's unnecessary amount of paranoia.

"Ducky." She said, in a tone similar to that used by a parent consoling a frightened child. "If there had been any Sharpteeth around last night, they would have gone for all of us, not just Petrie. Whatever happened, I really don't think it has anything to do with Sharpteeth."

"A-are you sure?"

"Trust me, I'm a Far-Walker, I've dealt with a lot of Sharpteeth." The smaller dinosaur breathed a sigh of relief and noticeably relaxed slightly. Ali got to her feet, gently picked Ducky up in her mouth and placed the Swimmer on her back. "Now then, let's go and find out where he went."

TO BE CONTINUED...


	34. Leaders and Dictators

**Leaders and Dictators **

Green Dragon

Littlefoot awoke and stretched out. The sand he was lying on was particularly comfortable and he felt no immediate need to get up. However as he lay there, memories of the previous night returned and he became aware of the absense of Ali. Reluctantly opening his eyes, he looked around, hoping to spot her nearby, perhaps getting a drink of water. However, she was nowhere to be seen.

He got to his feet and began to look around. It did not take long before he noticed that Petrie and Ducky were missing too. Growing anxious, he briefly considered waking up Cera and Spike to help him search. However, given recent developments, the prospect of being alone with either one of them was not particularly appealing. Deciding he would just do a quick sweep of the immediate area, he set out on his own.

* * *

Ducky had climbed to the top of a small outcropping to look for Petrie from above. With her injury, Ali could not climb herself, but had helped Ducky scale the intially smooth rock face. Ducky scanned the camp alone at first. But as Petrie continued to refuse to appear, her gaze began to drift towards the horizons.

"Do you see him?" Ali called up, her bad eye shut tightly in the bright light. Ducky shook her head and climbed down.

"What are we going to do?" the Swimmer asked, as she stepped onto the Longneck's head. "We do not know whether he was kidnapped or if he...he..."

"If he left by himself." Ali finished grimly.

"But Petrie would not do that!"

"Do what?" Littlefoot's voice interrupted. Ali and Ducky turned to see him approaching with a slight look of relief. "Where were you guys?"

"Petrie's not here." Ali stated, limping over to him. Littlefoot looked at her, slightly bemused.

"That's a good observation." he said, suppressing a grin. "I notice Cera and Spike aren't here either, do I get points for spotting..." He trailed off as he caught Ali's look. "Oh this is serious, isn't it?"

"That's a good observation" Ali replied with just a touch more sarcasm than Littlefoot would have liked. "Look Ducky's scanned the whole area from on top of those rocks and she hasn't seen him. We don't know where he is." This was enough to put Littlefoot into a more serious mood.

"I see. And I'm guessing no-one knows _why_ he isn't here either, right?" Ali and Ducky nodded.

"There's no sign of a scuffle of any kind." Ali stated. "And if there had been Sharpteeth I really don't think they would have gone for the smallest of us." Littlefoot's eyes widened.

"You're saying you think he left by himself?" he asked. Ali tried to ignore Ducky's look of shock. She knew the Swimmer would be hurt most.

"I just don't think there's any other explanation." she explained. "But whatever's happened, we need to tell the others." Littlefoot nodded and the three made their way back to the campsite, each trying to think of what could possibly be going through the Flyer's mind.

* * *

Due to his early start, Petrie had made good time and could already see the Great Valley on the horizon. Although he had only left it just yesterday, it felt like it had been an age since he had seen it last. All night he had been wrestling with himself, trying to decide if it was better to keep going or to turn back and return to the others before they found out that he had left. He certainly did not feel good about his decision. Even though it was with the best of intentions, he could not quite keep a small pang of guilt from welling up inside him. But then every time he considered going back to the group, he remembered how Ali had made those accusations about his uncle. For some reason that memory seemed to keep pushing away his desire to go back. How strange. Who would have thought a simple thing like an insult to one's family could make one feel less friendly towards the one who made the insult to begin with? Perhaps certain Longnecks should think about that before making wild claims.

* * *

"So when you say he's not here, you mean he's-"

"I mean he's not here Cera, I can't make it any simpler than that." Ali interrupted. "I don't know where or why he's gone, all I know is that he isn't here any more and I really don't think he was kidnapped or attacked."

"We really need to start taking turns keeping watch when we sleep in the Mysterious Beyond." Littlefoot muttered. Spike, assuming Littlefoot was talking to him as they were standing next to each other, nodded in agreement, though about what he was agreeing with, he was not entirely sure.

"Okay," Ali was saying, "assuming he's gone back to the Great Valley, what we-"

"Why are we assuming he went back to the valley?" Cera interrupted.

"Well I don't know, where else might he have gone?"

"...Okay, good point."

"Okay, so assuming he's gone back to the Valley-"

"Hang on, how do we know he hasn't just gone off to stretch his wings and is coming back right now?"

"Well I was just about to get to tha-"

"Yes, but you were taking too long."

"Will you let me finish?"

"Whatever."

"Thank you...yeesh... Anyway as I was saying, I think the best thing to do is wait here for a little while. If Petrie is just getting some exercise then he'll be back soon. But the fact is we can't wait here forever since ironically enough, without a Flyer, we have no idea if there are any Sharpteeth nearby. So I think if we wait here until about midday and Petrie still hasn't shown up, then we assume he's gone back to the valley and we meet him there." Ali stopped to gasp for breath as everyone else absorbed her plan. She had to admit, she was getting used to the idea of being a leader.

"What if Petrie is not at the Valley when we get back?" Ducky's quiet voice broke the silence. Ali thought for a moment.

"I really, _really_don't think that'll be the case, but if it is, then the only reason I can think of is that Petrie got into some kind of trouble. Unfortunately if that's the case I doubt we'll have much chance of finding him. We have no idea where he went and he can cover more ground than us. So I guess if he's not back at the valley when we get there, we tell the adults and they can send some Flyers out to look for him."

"I would have thought that they'd have already sent Flyers out to look for all of us by now." Littlefoot spoke up. It was odd not being the one making the plans.

"Not if they didn't know which way to go." Ali replied. "Once we get back we can point them in this direction."

"It's still gonna take a few days to get back." Cera pointed out. "If he is in trouble, then by the time we get back, it might be too late."

"Yes, but as I said we have no idea of which way to look and who knows how far he could have gone? We really wouldn't have much hope of finding him, but the other Flyers would. Besides, as I said I _really_don't think that's the case. I can't imagine any trouble he couldn't escape from. One by one, everyone began to nod in agreement, if reluctantly. The plan was settled. Ali smiled to herself. She was _so_ going to gloat about this to Littlefoot once this was all over.

* * *

Petrie touched down on the soft grass of Watcher's Hill. It had been too long since he had felt the spring of grass beneath his claws. But now the young Flyer was in a quandary. Should he go right back to Pterano and get to work, or go to the other adults and let them know the others were alright? In most cases, the latter would be the obvious choice with no doubt. But his uncle needed him. And the adults would be sure to take up his time with questions about why he and the others had left. And that in turn would lead to them learning that Ali had returned to the valley. And of course if they learned _why_she had returned, Pterano could get into serious trouble.

But he thought of their parents. He knew his own mother must be out of her mind with worry. He could not just let the rest of them continue to worry without a little reassurance. Of course now the big problem was what kind of story could he make up to tell them? No matter how hard he racked his brains, nothing sprung to mind. They would guess right away that he had been with Littlefoot and the others. How could he possibly explain why they had left the Valley and why, when the others returned, Ali would mysteriously just happen to be with them? Even if he did come up with a story, he was not much of a liar...

Then a thought struck him. Pterano would know what to do! He always knew. With a song in his heart, he headed off toward the Smoking Mountain, inwardly gloating at his own genius.

* * *

When Petrie arrived at the mountain, he was confused to find his uncle was not there. Neither was Rax. Why were they not there? They clearly had not finished digging. The mass of rocks had barely diminished at all. What had they been doing for the past several hours? Heading back outside he happened to glance in the direction of his home. Perhaps Pterano was there. But if he was it would be difficult to approach him without revealing himself to his mother or siblings. For a moment he felt a sickening clench in his stomach. Why did the idea of his family seeing him feel so sickening? Maybe in some small, tiny, minuscule way, he was worried that they might think less of him when they learned he had left his friends?

No. No, from their point of view, perhaps it would seem cowardly but he was doing it for the good of everyone. His uncle needed his help right now. Much more so than Littlefoot and the others. Besides, this would prove to Ali that she was wrong about his uncle. An image of her frantically apologising worked its way into his mind. It was strangely pleasing...

* * *

Petrie flew toward the cave he called home. So far as he could tell, neither his mother nor any of his siblings seemed to be there. However there were two creatures visible. They possessed the undeniable forms of Pterano and Rax. Quickly looking around just to make sure no family members were in sight, he swooped down into the cave and with a loud squawk of "Uncle! Me back!" he landed.

Pterano and Rax looked around in surprise. Next to them was a small pile of green food. Pterano was looking notably healthier than when Petrie saw him last.

"Why hello Petrie." Pterano greeted him respectfully as if they had just happened to be passing each other on the way to the watering hole. "Back already I see. I trust you have new tales of adventure to entertain us with. I do hope the first shall be how you were able to help your friend far sooner than expected." Something was odd about the way he spoke. From what he said, it was almost as if he already knew that the young Flyer had abandoned his friends. Yet he said it so calmly and mildly, as if they were just making pleasent conversation.

"Well um...me..um..." Petrie stumbled over his attempt at explaining. Why did Pterano have to go and greet him like that? He was building him up as a hero when in truth, that did not feel like the case right now. The older Flyer seemed to sense his discomfort and changed the subject.

"Rax here insisted that I take some time to rest and eat before we continue with our mission. I confess it has done me the world of good. Why don't you dig into what's left? You must be hungry from your long flight and Rax can go and forage for more." Rax immediately stood up and left as if he had been given an order. Which was strange to Petrie, because it had not _sounded_ like an order...

Now that it was just Pterano and him, Petrie felt more relaxed. His uncle always seemed to have a way of keeping his fears and doubts down. Relaxing slightly, he began to eat from the pile of food. Now that he noticed it, he _was_ famished.

"So I can only assume the reason why you did not leap at the chance to tell me the circumstances surrounding your speedy return is because there is something about it that does not feel quite right." Pterano's voice still sounded absolutely pleasent and it was that voice that made Petrie worry less about having to admit what he had done and simply made him wonder why his uncle insisted on using such big words _all_ the time...

"Well...me was...Me thought..." Petrie trailed off and looked down at the half eaten Treestar in his claws.

"Considering you probably would know that your mother and your friend's parents are all gathered at the Meeting Place, would I be correct in assuming that your decision to come here first implies that your friends have not returned with you?" Pterano's question was asked so gently, Petrie almost missed its meaning.

"Well...me wanted...to..."

"Yes?" There was something so soothing about his uncle's voice. Something that loosened the knot in his throat.

"Me wanted to come back early...and help you find 'lost souls'." Petrie distracted himself with the view outside the cave while Pterano was silent for a moment.

"I see." he suddenly spoke again. "So I presume this either means you had to explain to your friends why you had to leave, which means they now know about the 'lost souls'," he still sounded very calm and indifferent, as if commenting on the weather, "or perhaps..." Pterano gained a knowing look as Petrie looked down, "I see."

"Friends will be okay!" Petrie suddenly found himself with an insatiable urge to defend his decision. He could not bear Pterano to think less of him. "They close to Valley! They get here soon, it just would take me longer if me stay with them!" He was about to mention that Ali's injury also contributed to their slowness, but he felt it sounded bad enough without mentioning that he had left a friend while injured. Pterano simply nodded.

"I understand perfectly Petrie, I want you to know that. Your friends as you say, will be fine on their own without you for now. It is the 'lost souls' who need your help most." The sincerity in Pterano's voice loosened the knot even further. Petrie dared to look up at him again. He seemed idly distracted by an insect at the cave's mouth.

"So... you think me...did okay?" The older Flyer leaned down and looked him directly in the eye.

"Petrie, by your estimation, how many Sharpteeth have you and your friends encountered?" Petrie was surprised. By this point he had actually lost count. Pterano seemed to be able to tell from his look. "And how many times have you defeated or otherwise escaped those Sharpteeth?"

"Well...everytime...me guess..."

"Exactly. So it would seem to me that there is little need to worry for you friends now. You said they would be back soon and even if they do run into any Sharpteeth...well obviously they will not have _your _considerable talents to aid them, but I am confident that they should be able to take care of at least one encounter by themselves." Petrie could not help but feel a warm glow when Pterano spoke of his "considerable talents", but he felt he had to be honest.

"Actually...friends usually handle Sharpteeth by themselves anyway." Pterano laughed gently and lightly clapped him on the shoulder.

"There is no need to be modest around me Petrie. Of course I am sure they are quite capable but you cannot deny that the knowledge you gain simply from the power of flight is infinitely more valuable than the brute strength your Threehorn friend supplies." Petrie felt the warm glow again. "In fact, I daresay you must be the most useful asset in Littlefoot's "team" as it were." The glow increased. "Although I doubt a change in leadership would not hurt." The glow maxed out. Petrie found himself struggling to repress the urge to grin to himself. He knew it had been a good idea to come to Pterano first. He _always_ made him feel better. And surprisingly, he found it was becoming easier and easier to talk about what he had done.

"Well," he said, almost casually, "me no want Mama to worry about me, now me back. But me no think-"

"Of some way to reassure her, yet at the same time, not draw suspicion to the predicaments of your friends?" How did he always know? He really was the best uncle anyone could ask for.

"That right!" Pterano patted Petrie's head.

"You are noble to think of your friends and wise to ask for help. Leave this to me, I shall talk to your mother. You stay here and rest. You need to have your strength for when we return to work tomorrow." With that, Pterano took flight and faded into the distance. Petrie let out a sigh of relief and relaxed. He had not been aware of just how tense he was. As he prodded the green food with his toe idly, his mind wondered back to Pterano's comment about the change in leadership. An mental image of Littlefoot and the others following behind him as he led the way through the Mysterious Beyond towards their next adventure briefly flashed through his mind. He found himself overcome with the unsuppressable urge to giggle.

* * *

The bright circle was high in the sky. Judging from its position, Ali guessed it to be midday. Everyone else was sitting around idly. She sighed inwardly to herself. Somehow she doubted that they were going to want to hear that it was time to move on without Petrie. Still, that was the problem with dinosaurs who lived in constant safety. They were not used to the idea of having to leave someone behind.

"Okay everyone, it's midday." she spoke out. They looked up one by one.

"Oh no, no, no, it cannot be!" Ducky protested. "Cannot we wait just a little longer? Please?" Ali looked down at her. It was hard to say no to those big blue eyes. But time was wasting.

"Ducky, if he was coming back, he would have been here by now." she said soothingly. "I'm sure he's back at the Valley now waiting for us. The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll see him." This statement did little to raise the Swimmer's spirits. Ali nuzzled her gently, hoping to cheer her up, but it had little effect.

"We're ready to go." Littlefoot's voiced brought her back to the situation at hand. He was standing in front of her, Cera and Spike just a little way off, readying themselves for the journey. Ali picked Ducky up gently in her mouth and placed the Swimmer on her back.

"Right." she replied. "We want to go in the direction of where the bright circle rises-" A faint sound cut her off. It sounded somewhat distant, but she was a Wanderer. She recognised the sound. It was a Sharptooth. Judging from the bass of it's voice, presumably a large-ish one. And she knew it had their scent. There was just a moment before the ever familiar fear bubbled up inside her and she was instead filled with a sense of annoyance. Couldn't she go _one_day without a Sharptooth attack?

"Everyone." The others turned to look at her. "We have to get out of here."

TO BE CONTINUED...


	35. Hot Pursuit

**Hot Pursuit**

Green Dragon

"I'm right here! I'm right here! You want me? Huh? Yeah you do, come on!" Cera's voice caught the attention of the gigantic black Sharptooth. Just as she hoped, it began to head for her. "Okay guys, get going!" she shouted as she started running away from the Sharptooth. Ali, Littlefoot, Spike and Ducky headed off in the other direction, Ducky riding on Ali and Ali supported by Littlefoot. With her injured leg, the group had all known that she would have had no chance of outrunning a Sharptooth, but Cera had volunteered herself to act as a distraction to buy them time. Ali had been about to say no, but Cera had run off before she had had a chance. She looked to Littlefoot, hoping for a little advice about what to do, but it was clear from the look on his face that he wanted no more part in making decisions regarding whether or not to leave someone behind. With no other choice, she called back to the Threehorn.

"We'll wait for you! Remember, we're heading towards where the bright circle rises from the ground!"

She could not tell if her instructions had fallen on deaf ears or whether Cera was too busy to reply. Inwardly cursing Petrie for his absence, as he would have easily been able to fly back for Cera later, Ali directed the rest of the group towards a small path cutting through the mountains, hoping it would make them hard to follow.

Whatever fear her friends may have had for her, Cera was feeling none of it. Now, for the first time since yesterday, she felt like her old self again. Now there was no Littlefoot to remind her of the horrible incident that took place in the caves. Here and now her heart was beating and her blood pumping strong. If there were any way to make up for her actions, _this_was the way to do it. She would show that Sharptooth what running was. If it wanted to catch her, it was going to have a hard time of it.

_"No one messes with a Threehorn and gets away with it,"_ she thought grimly to herself.

* * *

Petrie continued to scan the horizon from his nest. Still no sign of his mother or his uncle. He was beginning to grow nervous. What possible story could Pterano think of that would allow her to accept Petrie's sudden disappearance and return, yet not draw questions? Pterano was smart but the fact that it seemed to be taking so long was not a good sign.

_"Maybe me should go back to others," _he thought to himself. _"Then when we get back to Valley, they can explain everything. Besides, they probably could use Petrie's help."_

He pushed aside the thought that Pterano might have convinced his mother after all, and that his leaving again would only cause her more worry. He refused to listen to the point that his friends would likely be less than happy to see him after what he had done. All he thought about was that this was the only way to avoid any trouble. That was it. His mind was made up. He made a move towards the cave entrance, preparing for take off, when two figures appeared on the horizon. After a moment, they grew larger, taking on the forms of Pterano and Petrie's mother. And they were heading straight for the cave. Petrie sighed and sat down. It seemed there would be no way of escaping after all.

"Petrie!" His mother's voice finally sounded as they reached the cave after ten excrutiatingly long seconds. She landed, strode towards him, picked him up and drew him into a hug immediatedly. Petrie was more than used to this reaction after he would return home from yet another of his adventures, but the warm happy feeling of everything being at peace was sickeningly absent.

"I'm afraid my explanation that you had simply attempted to fly in too strong a gust of wind and had been blown into the Mysterious Beyond, forcing you to spend the last several hours making your way back, has done little to reassure your mother of your safety, as you can see." Pterano spoke softly and casually, yet Petrie did not miss the subtle wink. He could not help but smile inwardly. Trust Pterano to come up with something so simple! Still, he could not help but feel a little inadequate in comparison. Never would he have managed to come up with such a simple, yet believable story so quickly.

"Unfortunately," Pterano continued, "I suppose this means you have not heard about the disappearance of your friends." Petrie smiled inwardly again. Perfect! All he had to do was play along and no-one would even question him about where Littlefoot and the others were.

"What?" Petrie asked, in gasps for air as his mother continued to hug him a little too tightly. "Friends missing? Where are they?" Thankfully his mother seemed too distracted in hugging him to notice any flaw in his acting. She set him down and spoke gently.

"I'm afraid no-one's seen Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky or Spike since the night before last." Petrie smiled to himself again. What luck! The others had left so early yesterday morning that no-one had seen them, while he hadn't left until midday. And even if Petrano hadn't been lying, he and Rax had seen Petrie, so now it looked even less suspicious.

"But...what we going to do?" Petrie asked, once again trying to sound concerned.

"Some of the Flyers are being sent out to look for them." Pterano spoke up. "My own suggestion, though I don't wish to brag. They've already covered the valley itself so they are preparing to fan out through the Mysterious Beyond. Of course it would be easier if they knew which direction to look in, but I doubt it will be long before we hear news."

Petrie was finding it harder and harder to not grin. Pterano really was thinking of everything. Once the other Flyers found the others, they would make sure that they were safe. Petrie could almost feel his worries dropping one by one.

"That's enough." Pterie's mother spoke up, somewhat sternly. "I know you must be exhausted, having to fly all the way home like that by yourself. You need to rest and try not to worry about your friends. We're taking care of it, we'll find them soon."

"Oh...okay." Petrie replied, faking a yawn. "Me could do with nap. Me, um...me very tired." His mother nodded understandingly and carried him over to the nest and, laying him down gently, nuzzled him tenderly. She then stood up and headed over to the cave entrance, joining Pterano.

"Try and sleep for a while." She said. "We'll wake you up when we have news." Petrie nodded as she turned and took off out of the cave's mouth. Another knowing wink later, and Pterano followed suit. Alone again, Petrie gratefully snuggled down into his nest. Considering everything that had happened, he certainly was a lucky little Flyer.

he thought to himself. "Then when we get back to Valley, they can explain everything. Besides, they probably could use Petrie's help."

* * *

Cera tried to ignore the sharp stones digging into her feet as they slammed down on the ground. She was running so fast, the wind was stinging her eyes, yet ironically she didn't mind. At least the wind roaring in her ears was drowning out the Sharptooth's deafening bellows. She raced through a narrow strip, tall rocky hills either side, boxing her in. She knew she was in a very bad position. The Sharptooth had a clear run towards her. All it had to do was catch up and it would all be over. But she remained confident. There was no way that she would allow this beast to catch her up. Even now, she could feel her very speed increasing with each step. The vibrations from the Sharptooth's enormous footsteps were already feeling further and further away. This was it. She was going to win. She couldn't wait until this was over and she could brag to the others all about how she outran a fully grown Sharptooth. Even fate itself could not stop her!

Of course, fate at times appears to have an ego, as it always picks the moment when one has such a line of thought, to step in and prove them wrong. Thus when Cera turned a corner to find herself face to face with an enormous wall of stone, fresh from a recent rock slide, effectively creating a dead end, it really did feel as if fate was responding to her challenge with a somewhat juvenile: "Oh yeah? We'll see about that!"

Frustration set in as Cera skidded to a halt. With the rock slide ahead and the steep hills either side, the only way out was back the way she came. Of course the fact that two rows of very large teeth happened to be occupying that particular route was somewhat off putting. The Threehorn groaned to herself as she felt the familiar sense of frustration gradually being replaced with panic.

_"No! No panicking!"_ She told herself, _"You're a Threehorn! Act like it!"_ Scouting around, she was soon met with the sight of a stream of lava, trickling down from one of the hills, forming a small pool near the bottom. The stream was far too small to present much of a problem to the Sharptooth, but the sight of a clump of decent sized rocks nearby gave her an idea.

* * *

Littlefoot, Ali, Ducky and Spike continued on at a pitiful pace

. It seemed hopeless. If Cera was not able to draw the Sharptooth away in time, there was no chance that they would be able to reach a safe distance, especially not at the speed they were going. This was a realisation that was very quickly making itself clear to Ali.

"Guys?" She spoke up. "You need to go on ahead." Littlefoot looked to her in surprise, but did not break stride.

"What? Why? What for?" He replied, stumbling over his questions. A sigh of irritation slipped through Ali's lips. What was wrong with them, why were they still hanging around? They didn't honestly believe they could outrun a Sharptooth at this pace, did they?

"Look, it's only a matter of time before that thing gives up on Cera and comes this way. When it does-"

"Okay, obviously you don't know Cera that well." Littlfoot cut in. Ali blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"Trust me, Cera knows how to keep a Sharptooth on her tail. There's no way that thing is giving up on her."

"Yeah, but what happens when..." She stopped herself. She could not ask what would happen when, or even if the Sharptooth caught Cera. She knew the others well enough to know that they would not view the concept of Cera being beaten by that thing as physically possible. But she had lost enough friends to Sharpteeth to know that faith was not always enough. Littlefoot chose to fill in the silence before she had a chance to say anything however.

"Look don't worry. Once Cera finds a way to get rid of the Sharptooth, she'll follow in this direction. She'll be moving faster than us and she'll be here in no time." This statement did not assure her. She could not help herself, she had to ask the question.

"And how is one Threehorn supposed to stop a full grown Sharptooth alone?" Before Littlefoot could answer, Ducky had hopped from his head to Ali's and was now staring down into her eyes. For a moment, she swore that there was a kind of look in her eye that one gives to an infant who cannot work out a simple problem.

"Cera will be okay." The Swimmer spoke. "You will see. You will. You will."

* * *

Cera approached the rocks by the lava pool. Her fast pace had bought her a fair amount of time. While she could hear her pursuer approaching, she knew she had time to pull this off. She began rolling the first rock towards the lava. Being about the size of her head, they were not the easiest things to move, but adrenalin helped her work quickly. One by one, she pushed each rock into the pool until it was filled completely. Already feeling the heat, she back away quickly as the excess lava from the stream hit her makeshift dam and started to overflow. Slowly but surely, the molten rock was spreading out over the hillside. Smirking to herself, Cera started to climb. The hill was steep and being made up of small stones did not make it the best for grip, but without Littlefoot or Spike around, she was going to have to be her own bait for a change.

The Sharptooth rounded the corner and looked around inquistively, having lost sight of its prey. To catch its attention, Cera threw back her head and, like the little hatchling she once was, breaking rocks with her head for the first time, she let out a bellow that echoed around the hills. The Sharptooth instantly caught sight of her and thundered towards her. Long before its thick hide registered the heat from below, it was too late. Blinding agony hit it like a comet as it tread onto the lava covered hillside. Its deafening cry roared through the canyon. With its feet practically on fire, it gave way to gravity and crashed down to the ground.

Before she had a chance to celebrate, the vibrations from the beast's fall brought the stones Cera was standing on, crashing down as well, bringing the Threehorn with them. She tumbled down, furiously trying to regain her balance, hoping that her path would not bring her to the lava. Only when she hit something surprisingly soft was she brought to a halt and able to struggle to her feet. She looked up. The Sharptooth was breathing, but not moving. The pain was too much for it to register that the prey it had chased was now standing so close to its mouth. Fortunately for Cera, the fact did register and she was quick to move away.

Heading back the way she had come, Cera inwardly praised herself on such a victory. It really was too bad her dad was going to be angry with her when she got home, he really would have loved this story.


	36. Home at Last

**Home at Last**

Green Dragon

Ali was still bickering with Littlefoot and Ducky over Cera's plight. True, they may have faced countless Sharpteeth and lived to tell the tale, assuming their stories were accurate, but it's the one attack that you do _not_ walk away from that you have to worry about.

"Look Ali, I know what you're trying to do," Littlefoot was saying, "but we came a long way to find you, so we're not just gonna leave you behind for some Sharptooth to find you now!"

"Aha!" Ali could not help allowing herself a smirk of triumph. "I thought you said there was no chance of the Sharptooth finding us while Cera was distracting it!"

"Well I...um..that is..." Littlefoot grinned in spite of himself. In the face of danger and Ali was still playing games with him.

"Cera _will_stop that Sharptooth, she will, she will." Ducky stated, still talking from her odd perch on Ali's head. "But there could be other Sharpteeth around and we cannot leave you here for them to find, no, no, no!" Ali had to smile at Ducky's honesty, yet also surprisingly logical thoughts. But it still did not change matters.

"You're right Ducky," she said, "but that just means it's even more important that you guys get going now. If any Sharpteeth track us down, you guys being here isn't going to help things. And that's _still_assuming that Cera can take care of the first one!"

"Well thanks for the vote of confidence!" Everyone's heads whipped around to face the direction they had come, to see none other than Cera, walking up towards them, not even a scratch anywhere on her body.

"Cera!" Littlefoot cried. "Are you okay? What happened? How did you escape?"

"Escape?" Cera echoed, her Threehorn pride sneaking up on her. "You must have me confused with yourself. " She couldn't resisting poking her tongue out at him, earning a huff of irritation as a reward. "I didn't escape, I beat that thing!"

"You beat a fully grown Sharptooth?" Ali spoke up.

"Yup."

"...How?"

"Well, there we were, face to face. It was coming right at me and I thought to myself, "I can't run away! My friends are _counting_ on me to keep them safe from trouble!" So I looked up, stared it straight in the eye and-"

As Cera continued her tale, Ducky and Spike hanging on every word, while Littlefoot rolling his eyes in what suggested more than a healthy dose of scepticism, Ali took a moment to sit down and rest her leg. There was still a way to go and despite her earlier claim, she did not expect that they would be attacked again anytime soon. A quick break couldn't hurt. Still, she mused, as Cera was now beginning to act out some of the more finer details of her exploits, having convinced Spike to stand in for the Sharptooth (evidently the Sharptooth must have shrunk after it chased Cera, because she had apparently defeated it by jumping on top of it), Littlefoot and Ducky's stubbornness over not leaving her behind had taught her one thing. Well actually two things, with the first being that Cera was a bad influence on Littlefoot and Ducky and second? Being a leader looked like it was going to be just as difficult as she thought.

* * *

Back in the valley, Petrie had woken from his deep sleep. The Bright Circle was starting to descend towards the ground now, meaning he had slept for quite a time although, as he reasoned with himself, considering he had been awake all night flying home, this was only natural. But while his guilt of sleeping in had been addressed, the guilt of another of his actions was freshly bubbling up to the surface. While the Flyers being sent out on Pterano's suggestion would inevitably find Littlefoot and the others, there was still the problem of what would happen when they returned. Rack his brains as he might, Petrie could not think of an excuse to give them that would explain his departure from the group. For the briefest of moments, the urge to fly away was welling up in him again. It would be so easy. He could be miles away from the valley in just a matter of minutes and that would solve everything. He would not have to answer to the others at all. All it would take would be to stand up, stretch out his wings and...

No. What was he thinking? It was exactly this kind of action that had led him to this situation in the first place. And when he had arrived home and Pterano had gone to find his mother, the first instinct of his had been to run away again. And though he did not like to admit it, it was probably only their timely arrival that prevented him from doing so. Well. Enough was enough. He could not just keep flying away every time something became difficult. Pterano was right, the little Flyer had faced Sharpteeth and won! Exactly what could his friends, however angry they might be, do to him? And so it was decided. No more running. Although the fact that Pterano would likely dream up some incredible, yet entirely plausible excuse for his absence, as he had done before, probably influenced Petrie's decision more than he cared to admit.

* * *

"-so he says "that's not a Clubtail, that's my mother!"

"I don't get it."

Ali watched as Cera began to explain, in great detail, just how Littlefoot's appreciation of quality humour was sadly lacking. She rolled her eyes with a sense of annoyed amusement. She was sure they were trying to put on happy faces for her benefit. Her slow pace had not helped the group. Evening was upon them and night time would swiftly follow, and yet the distance they had made would have been laughable, had one been in a mood to laugh. As it was, regardless of how they tried to hide it, Ali was sure that the other's patience was starting to wear thin.

Suddenly a cry rang out.

"There they are! I see them!" Everyone's heads immediately snapped up, gazing towards the sky where the voice had come from. Immediately the glare of the Bright Circle blinded them and all they could make out were several large, black shapes coming towards them, almost as if emerging from the Bright Circle _itself_. A moment later and the shapes had landed on the ground. Blinking rapidly, eyes re-adjusting, the group soon discovered that these shapes did in fact, belong to a number of Flyers. One of them, stone grey in colouring, with a small crest on his head, stepped towards Littlefoot.

"At last." He spoke, voice croaking, indicating that he was likely more than a little thirsty. "We've finally found you. We've been searching for hours." Ali found this an odd comment for a total stranger to make to Littlefoot. For the briefest of moments, thoughts entered her head, detailing the possibility of Blue Flyer. Perhaps he had sent members of his flock their way to assist? This theory was quickly disproved when Littlefoot spoke up however.

"I've seen you before." He said. "At the Meeting Place in the Great Valley. You're all from the valley, aren't you?" The grey Flyer nodded in response.

"The elders sent us out to search for you." He spoke up. "They've been quite anxious since you disappeared last night." None of the group could _quite_ ignore the strict tone in his voice. Still, he would presumably learn the truth soon enough.

"Well you found us." Cera spoke up. "So what are you going to do now?"

"Escort you home." Grey Flyer replied. "We can lead you back on the straightest path possible. Assuming of course you _were_ heading for the valley, I think you should know, you were quite off course." Ali immediately felt her face burn with shame. She was so sure that she had been going the right way. And what excuse did she have to not be? She was a Far Walker, none of the group knew, or _should_ have known the way better than her.

"How far away are we?" Littlefoot was asking.

"If we leave now and keep a steady pace, I would imagine we could be there by midnight. Perhaps a little later." Grey Flyer answered. Ali's feelings grew worse. Not only had she led them the wrong way, but she knew what was coming next.

"She's injured." Littlefoot gestured towards her. "She can't walk easily, we're gonna be pretty slow." All eyes on her, Ali would have run for cover, had she been capable of it.

"How fast can you move?" Grey Flyer questioned her. Distracting herself from the gaze of her audience with delightful thoughts involving the ground swallowing her up whole, Ali demonstrated to the would be rescuers her current walking ability. Ducky climbing up onto her back afterwards and reassuringly patting her head helped matters. The looks of annoyance on the Flyer's faces did not.

"I suppose this changes thing." Grey Flyer spoke at length. "If one of you can help her, I suppose we could reach the valley by daybreak. But no stops along the way." The group nodded in consent and prepared to start moving. "And I'm sure the elders will be _quite_interested to learn why there are two Longnecks when we were only told to search for one."

"And you say Mr Thicknose is strict." Ducky whispered to Cera.

* * *

Petrie was perched on the edge of one of the ridges at the Meeting Place, dancing from one foot to the other nervously. Dawn had just passed and he had been awakened by his mother, with news that one of the Flyers had returned a few hours ago. Apparently the others had been found, were being escorted home immediately and were expected to arrive soon. Petrie was not the type generally given to mornings, and this one seemed to be worse than usual. Not because of tiredness, for once he was surprisingly alert. But instead, he was dealing with the rather unusual prospect of entertaining two very different emotions at once. Excitement for the safe return of his friends and at the same time, dread, for what they might have to say to him. Once again that annoying, yet strangely attractive idea of taking off and flying away from his problems bubbled up.

He was shaken from this when a hand gently landed on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw that it was of course Uncle Pterano. Whether the Flyer was comforting him, or had somehow sensed Petrie's urge to run away (and he had to admit that he would not be entirely surprised if Pterano _were_capable of such things) and was simply restraining him, Petrie could not tell. Either way, he chose to draw comfort from it. It seemed like the smart thing to do.

Presently, the assembled dinosaurs were shaken from their wait by the appearance of a small flock of Flyers, just swooping over the Great Wall. Within minutes, they arrived, bring with them two tired Longnecks, an irritable Threehorn, a lightly dozing Swimmer and a Spiketail who did not look entirely sure how he got there. In a moment, the morning's silence was shattered as parents and guardians surrounded the children with greetings and welcomes, hugs and scoldings and most importantly, questions.

"Where have you been?"

"Are you alright?"

"Do you have _any_ idea how worried I was?"

"Where have you _been_?"

"How could you just go running off like that?"

"What kind of example is this to set to the youngsters of this valley?

"Where have you _been_?"

Clearly seeing that the children would have no hope of answering any questions if they were bombarded with all of them at once, Littlefoot's Grandpa called for silence.

"Perhaps it would be worth asking one question at a time." He spoke, as parents were now fairly assured that their young were more or less safe. "Now Littlefoot," he began to address his grandson in what Littlefoot often called his "stern-but-not-quite-angry" voice, "I had originally thought the first question I would ask you when you returned, would be where you were and what you were doing." He cast an eye towards Ali. "But now I believe the most pressing question would be where your old friend has come from and why she is here." Littlefoot and Ali appeared to be whispering to each other. Petrie could not hear them from where he was (he had taken care to stay out of sight once he saw the sour look on Cera's face), but he guessed they were deciding which of them should do the talking.

"It started the day before yesterday." Littlefoot spoke up. "I was just on my way home when this blue Flyer appeared out of nowhere..."

Petrie watched as Littlefoot told the audience about Blue Flyer's message and the proposed rescue of Ali. Ali herself, also chimed in with details about the Sharptooth attack on her herd. Petrie noted with some relief on his friend's behalf, that her story seemed to be softening some of the frowns on the adult's faces. Cera's father even changed his look to one of pride as his daughter began recounting tales involving a Sharptooth, some fire-water and a large helping of Threehorn courage and determination. Admittedly he did not catch the full story, he had been distracted as he willed himself to not throw up from the sheer bravado of it all.

Without warning, Peterano suddenly leapt from his own perch and flew down to where the group was standing. Petrie shrank further back, while still trying to listen.

"Certainly this was a thrilling tale." He was saying. He turned to face Littlefoot's Grandpa. "I daresay this may even be considered worthy of you Storyspeakers to spread to others, is it not." Without waiting for a reply from the momentarily stunned Longneck, Pterano turned his attention back to Littlefoot and the others. "But there will be time for such matters later. Right now I am sure Petrie will be glad to learn of your safe return. He was so...surprised to learn that you had disappeared that way."

Petrie watched, beak practically hitting the ground. The way Pterano spoke, so gentle, so polite. And yet, it seemed to carry a very clear "don't you dare try to contradict me in front of your families" message in it. The parents seemed to miss it, but Littlefoot and the others stared at him for a moment.

"Yeah." Littlefoot finally spoke up. "We can't wait to find out what he's been up to." Petrie let his breath go. Somehow Pterano had convinced them to not reveal his actions to the group. Were they scared of Pterano? Or were they just staying quiet out of friendship. Surprisingly, neither answer brought much comfort.

"Well I think we've all had enough excitement for one morning." Littlefoot's Grandma spoke up. "I am sure that Petrie will be happy to see you all, but for now you need to rest. " She turned her gaze to Ali. "Particularly you little one. You are very lucky that your leg is still working, but the sooner you can rest it, the better."

"We will send Flyers out to look for your herd and find out what has happened to them." Littlefoot's Grandpa added. "Until then, you are perfectly welcome to stay with us." Ali nodded, a whisper Petrie could not hear, escaping her lips. Though even from his distance, he saw them forming the words _"thank you"_. All at once, the group began to split up, each heading towards their own nests. Petrie watched this in surprise. And a moment later, a glorious sense of relief washed over him.

Okay, so he hadn't exactly gone down there and confronted them, but there was no hurry. And Littlefoot's Grandma was right, the group needed rest. Long trip after all. Assured that his friends were safe, Petrie decided to head on home. It was still early after all and that had been _such_ a comfortable position he had been in when he awoke. Perhaps he could find it again when he got back. He felt so happy. He was almost tempted to sing about it. But no, that would be too much.

* * *

Meanwhile, there was one member of the group who wasn't returning straight to the nest. Normally Cera's father would be particularly insistent that traipsing all over the Mysterious Beyond, with _two _Longnecks no less, would certainly qualify for punishment consisting of being sent to bed. Still, it is surprising just easily a story about defeating a fully grown Sharptooth single handed could melt the old Threehorn's heart. Okay, so perhaps a slightly more truthful rendition, with less emphasis on headbutting the beast hard enough to shatter bones would not have done the trick, but she had a purpose and being sent to bed was not a helpful factor.

She had been irritated immensely by Pterano's...well, _orders_to put it bluntly. Petrie had abandoned them and now she was finally able to get the truth, and here Pterano was, telling her to shut up. She had been about to protest naturally, no Threehorn takes that sort of thing lying down. Then Littlefoot nudged her, with sharp whispers of _"Just drop it"_ in that annoyingly secretive way that he seemed so fond of. Well he wasn't around now. Too busy getting all excited over the prospect of living with a _girl_. Boys...

Anyway she had something else in mind. While everyone else went off to sleep, it left Cera free to pay a little visit to Petrie's nest. And what better way to get the truth out of him than a little one-to-one talk? She wanted to know why he had abandoned them. And why Pterano was so desperate to keep it a secret.

"Why are you so desperate to keep it a secret?" The voice brought Cera out of her thoughts immediately. Looking around for the source, she spotted none other than Pterano himself, standing with a Flyer who had asked the question. They were at the base of the Smoking Mountain. Why? She crept closer, making sure to stay hidden in the bushes.

"My dear Rax, if Petrie's current...predicament with his friends were to become public knowledge, it would create unnecessary problems for us." Pterano responded.

"How do you figure? With the kids squabbling over this, it'd keep 'em distracted from what we're doing."

"My, how unusually perspective of you." Pterano replied acidly. "It's true, it may provide a temporary distraction, if any distraction at all. But arguments tend not to last long, one way or another. However if I can help Petrie smooth over any damage to his friendship with that group of his, it would be much easier to keep them distracted. We can rely on Petrie to throw them off the trail."

Cera crept closer.

"You trust that scrawny idiot to keep his mouth shut?"

"I'll thank you to not speak of my nephew in that manner." Cera was taken aback. Pterano's demeanor had not changed but his tone had suddenly become...almost scary. A little. Sort of. To someone else maybe. Rax also appeared taken aback.

"Sure, whatever you say boss. So he keeps them distracted while we keep digging?"

"While I do not appreciate the term 'scrawny', as you choose to put it, I will concede that Petrie is perhaps not the best choice to aide in the actual digging. His job will be to keep eyes off us. And our job, of course, is to find the lost souls.

Cera's mouth fell open.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	37. A Friendship Ruined

**A Friendship Ruined**

Green Dragon

Rage.

Nothing but rage. Anger flowed through her blood. Fury pounded in her heart. How could he? How _could_ he? All this time, Petrie had been insisting that no really, his uncle _had_ learned his lesson. He was _good_ now. No he certainly _wasn't_ chasing legends, looking for power, how could anyone think such a thing?

Well now Cera knew the truth. All this time, Petrie had lied to their faces. All this time, _he_ had the nerve to tell them off for judging his uncle. All this time...Petrie had been _working_ with his uncle.

Suddenly it all made sense. Why he didn't come with them straight away when they left to save Ali. Why he wouldn't tell them the reason. And most of all? Why he abandoned them. That was what hurt the moment. She didn't believe in that stupid legend of course, she had a _brain_ after all. But what mattered to her was the _betrayal_.

Cera was reasonable though, whatever Littlefoot might say about her. She would give Petrie one chance. One chance to explain himself. One chance to give a good reason for all the lies and betrayals. And if he couldn't think of one? Well then maybe she could stand to have one less friend in her life.

Nothing but rage.

* * *

As the Bright Circle rose higher in the sky, Littlefoot and Ali wearily trudged to his nest. His grandparents were off foraging for food, though they had quite firmly insisted that the young ones ought to take some time to rest.

Neither one of them was about to disagree.

Just as they finally approached the nest, but Littlefoot could not help noticing that Ali's limp appeared to be more pronounced than it had been the night before.

"How's the leg?" He asked, breaking what had been a long silence.

"Fine, fine." Ali said, though her wincing betrayed her. "I think it's getting better all the time."

"You don't have to pretend everything's okay." He said gently. "Walking so fast through the night didn't help, did it?"

"No." Ali sighed. "It's...just stiff, that's all. But it'll be alright after I've rested it, really."

Although nodding, Littlefoot privately could not help wondering if she was trying to convince herself more than him.

"Here." He said, pawing the ground where his nest lay. "You should rest it for a while."

"Where are you gonna sleep?"

"I'm not that tired." In truth, Littlefoot felt like he could sleep for days. Maybe he could take a nap on the ground once Ali was asleep, he thought. "You go ahead."

Ali smirked, not convinced for a moment. She lay down in the nest, but started to paw at the edge, scraping dirt aside.

"Y'know," she whispered, continuing to enlarge the nest, "I can never get to sleep when the Bright Circle is up. If only someone was next to me, blocking the light out."

"Um...I don't think having someone next to you would really block most of the light-" he broke off as he realised the nest was now large enough to fit two. "Ohhh."

In minutes, the two were fast asleep.

* * *

Petrie was in his nest. Pterano and the rest of the family were out, enjoying the sunshine and had left Petrie to catch up on his rest. Petrie still couldn't believe just how well Pterano had worked things out. He had covered for Petrie. He had worked out plausible excuses for Petrie's absence. Heck, he even convinced Littlefoot and the others to not speak to the grownups about his actions. There were still problems to work through of course but for now, Petrie was happy enough to put those problems aside and work on a far more pressing matter. Finding the _exactly_ same comfortable spot he had been sleeping in earlier that morning.

After several minutes of rolling and stretching he suddenly found it! Success! He yawned, feeling the last of his troubles slipping away. All he needed to do now was let sleep overcome him and-

"**Petrie, get down here right now!"** A voice bellowed.

Jerked awake instantly, Petrie scrambled to the edge of the nest and peered down. It was Cera. Of course it was Cera. Of _course_ she just couldn't leave it alone for _one_ day, could she? Doing his best to beat his nervousness into submission, he flew down to the ground below. Well, not _right_ down to the ground below. A tree branch ever so slightly out of the angry Threehorn's reach seemed altogether, much more sensible. As he reached his perch, he willed himself to look her in the eye. And then he wished he hadn't.

"You have got a **lot** of explaining to do!" Cera began. "What happened? Why did you leave? Did you know we almost got eaten by a Sharptooth because we were trying to look for you?"

As Cera fired question after question at him, Petrie felt his face begin to burn. He knew this conversation was coming. He knew he'd have to face the shame of what he had done. But how to explain things with giving away the secret? Cera _would_ have to pick a moment where Pterano wasn't around to help, wouldn't she? Nevertheless, she seemed to be running out of breath and there was no sign of his uncle on the horizon, so it seemed the time had come for him to start racking his brains and come up with a good excuse.

"Me can explain, Cera!" He began. "Me was...me was...me...was...flying around while you and others were sleeping and...and big mean Sharptooth Flyer came flying out of nowhere and chased Petrie! It chase Petrie for ages and ages until me trick it by flying into cave and hiding! But by time it safe to leave cave, it so late and Petrie so far away from you guys, that me couldn't find you. So me decided to fly back to Great Valley and wait for you. Me so happy that you okay!"

Petrie was quietly impressed with himself. That had been pretty good for something he'd thought up on the spot. Honestly it was surprising that he hadn't thought of it sooner really. Pterano was always saying that he didn't give himself enough credit after all and that he really should-

"You really think I'm gonna believe that?"

Or maybe it wasn't that good.

"What you talking about?" Petrie asked innocently.

"I **saw** Pterano talking to his friend! They were talking about the lost souls!"

Petrie flinched. But he kept his cool.

"So?"

"So Ali was right all along! He _was_ up to no good! He's been up to no good ever since he came back!"

Petrie flinched again. But this time was out of anger, not fear.

"Pterano not bad! He just trying-"

"And," Cera cut him off, "he just happened to mention that _you_ were helping him! And that it's _your_ job to distract the rest of us so we wouldn't know what he's up to!"

Suddenly, Petrie found he wasn't so good of thinking up things on the spot anymore.

"How could you?" Cera asked, taking advantage of Petrie's silence. "How _could_ you?"

The fact that Petrie wasn't saying anything confirmed everything more than any spoken confession ever could. Suddenly all the feelings bubbled in her again. The lies. The abandonment. The betrayal. She had been right all along. She had known it. But she just had to listen to the others, hadn't she?

"I **knew** it!" She continued, Petrie still struck dumb. "I _knew_ he was up to no good! I _told_ Littlefoot and Ducky, but _no_ they were so _sure_ that he'd turned good!"

Although still unable to speak, something about Cera's words changed something in Petrie. He suddenly felt his shame burning away.

"I _said_ he was no good!" Cera continued. "I said that, legend or not, Pterano was a bad person through and through! How could you be siding with that no good slime ball instead of us?"

That was it. That was the last of his shame leaving. Her words had taken it and replaced it with something else. Petrie was beginning to leave the sparks of an anger of his own.

"No say those things about Pterano." His voice was surprisingly clam and steady. Yet more surprising, it had a tone of firmness to it.

"_Excuse_ me?" Cera replied, taken aback.

"You no say bad things about me uncle!" Petrie's voice was rising.

It was one thing for her to be angry at him. That was understandable. It was even...fair. But he would _not_ let her say anything against Pterano. Not against the one who always understood. Not the one who had nothing but a kind voice at all times. He would not allow it.

""I'll say whatever I _want_!" Cera shot back, her voice rising too. "Especially when what I'm saying is **true!**"

She was _not_ going to stand he and be told off by _him_ for badmouthing the Flyer who had been the cause of everything that had gone wrong.

"**You take that back!**"

He would _not_ allow a bad word to be said against the Flyer who had given him everything.

"Your uncle is the most selfish, greedy, uncaring, horrible dinosaur I've ever met!"

Silence. Petrie's eyes widened. His beak opened slightly. His arms, previously waving above his head in rage, were now dropped to his sides. For a fleeting moment, Cera wondered if she had gone too far.

He wanted to hit her. Attack her. Hurt her. He wanted to do..._something_. He knew there was no chance of that though. There was no way that someone of his size could possibly do anything to someone of her size. He couldn't hurt her with his fists. But he could with words.

"Me could same the same about your dad." He whispered.

Now it was Cera's eyes that widened. But before she could say anything, he had already leapt off the branch and taken to the air, flying away from her as fast as he could. Her breathing started to quicken as she took in what he had said. She pounded the ground with her foot. That was it. He was not her friend anymore.

He flew faster and faster. Tears filled his eyes, blurring his vision, but he told himself that it was just the wind. He didn't really mean what he said about her father, but he didn't care. He just wanted her to feel the same pain she had caused him. With every beat of his wings, his speed increased. He could feel the blood pumping in his ears. She was not his friend anymore.

* * *

It took several hours, but he finally found Pterano sitting in a tree. Petrie was still breathing hard, the blood still thundering in his ears, but he didn't care. He had to talk to Pterano. Pterano would make everything better.

"Uncle!" He called, as he landed on a branch.

"Why Petrie." Pterano looked up in surprise. "Whatever is the matter?"

"Me...me don't...me can't..." Try as he might, Petrie couldn't form the words. His breath was harsh and burned his own throat as he panted from his flight.

"Steady Petrie." Pterano spoke softly, gently placing a hand on Petrie's shoulder. "Take a moment to breath."

Petrie did so, feeling his heartbeat slow down and his breathing return to normal. He could feel the emotion of the argument welling up inside. He had to get it all out before he burst into tears.

"Me think...me think friends not want to be friend with me anymore."

Pterano raised an eyebrow.

"Why on earth would you think that?"

"They...they know. They know all about lost souls. They know me helping you." Petrie's voice went quiet. "They say mean things about you."

For a moment, he found Pterano's expression cold and harsh. But a second later, his features softened and a soothing, sympathetic smile took shape.

"It's alright Petrie." He whispered gently. ""They are simply...jealous."

"Jealous?" Petrie looked up at him in surprise.

"Yes. If it's true that they know about the lost souls and they know what we are going to do, why wouldn't they be? How many of them can say that they have put the souls of those who were wrongly imprisoned, to rest? What have any of them ever done that can compare to such an act of kindness?"

Petrie thought hard for a moment. His friends had done many things to help others before. They had saved each other more times than he could count. They had restored water to the Great Valley. Found a cure for Littlefoot's Grandpa. Saved the Valley from the curse of Saurus Rock. Helped Moe find his way home. But...what could come even close to this? What had Cera done specifically? Could it really be that she was jealous of _him_?

One way or the other, it didn't change anything. He wouldn't forgive her for what she had said. She had no right to speak of his family that way. But maybe once they had completed their task...maybe then she would be so humbled that she would apologise. A mental image bubbled up of her, bowing her head down to him in shame and desperate apology. The others cheering for him as he graciously accepted it. It was an interesting concept.

"Pterano!" A voice called out, shaking Petrie from his thoughts.

"What is it, Rax?" Pterano asked, as the other Flyer perched alongside them.

"It's nearly done." Rax responded, breathing heavily. "We're almost through. The fire-water will rise soon, but if we go right now, we can dig through the last of the rock and reach the cave!"

Petrie and Pterano bolted upright is shock. Pterano took a moment to compose himself. Childish excitement may be acceptable for his nephew, but _he_ had to maintain certain standards after all.

"Very well then." He said. "Let us go and meet our destiny."

TO BE CONTINUED...

A/N: Okay, okay, okay, I know that this has been a loooooooooong time coming and for that I deeply apologise. I could make every excuse under the sun, including writer's block, personal troubles, not sure how to come up with a satisfying ending to a story that's already been delayed so long and just pure laziness, but I know that's not what really matters.

Suffice to say, I think I've finally hit upon a way to bring this story to a close at last. I figure this should only take two or three more chapters and while I don't want to make promises I can't keep about future updates, I have found in the past that I tend to speed up and power through writer's block when I'm almost done with a story, so hopefully, we'll reach the conclusion soon.


	38. Into the Cave

**Into the Cave**

Green Dragon

Littlefoot had never really had a nest mate before. He had huddled with his friends while sleeping out in the Mysterious Beyond on countless occasions, true enough. But either his nest wasn't big enough to accommodate two occupants properly, or Ali was an incredibly restless sleeper. That's what he assumed for the split second after he woke to being pushed and shoved rather roughly. The split second afterwards however, he opened his eyes and saw that it was actually Cera who was pushing and shoving him, which he felt was a touch unfair as he had not really done anything to deserve this treatment. Therefore, he decided to speak his mind.

"Ow! Cera, what is your problem?"

"You have to get up right now!" She snapped.

This outburst, coupled with the view of Ali standing next to Cera, irritably nursing a bruised shoulder, indicated that Cera was in one of her moods again. Naturally.

"Alright, alright, alright, I'm up!" He replied, groggily climbing to his feet. "Now what's going on?"

"No time to explain, we need to get Ducky and Spike!"

Without waiting for a response, Cera turned and ran off, heading in the direction of Ducky and Spike's nest. Years of being friend with Cera had taught Littlefoot that the path of least resistance tends to be the least stressful (and least painful), so with a roll of his eyes, he and Ali followed after her.

* * *

Littlefoot couldn't help but note Ducky's fortune. She had already been awake when the group arrived and, seeing Cera approaching with a clear look of absolute fury on her face, had had ample time to manoeuvre around behind Spike and maintain a safe distance. Having still been asleep, Spike had not been so lucky.

"**Get up Spike!"**

One rather sharp horn in an uncomfortable place later, the whole group was assembled and ready to hear what Cera had to say.

"Where's the entrance to the cave?" She immediately asked, looking at Ali.

"Um...which cave would that be?" Ali responded.

"The cave where those lost soul things are!"

"Wait, hang on!" Littlefoot spoke up. "I thought you didn't believe in that!"

"I don't, but do you know who does?" She kept silent for a moment for dramatic effect. "Pterano!" Not waiting for her surprised audience to ask questions, she continued. "I don't care if the legend is true or not, but he's up to something! And what's more, Petrie's helping him."

"What?" Littlefoot blurted out in surprise. "What makes you say that?"

Cera took a deep breath and told them in detail exactly what she had seen at the Smoking Mountain and then about her argument with Petrie.

"You are wrong Cera!" Ducky spoke up. "Petrie would not talk that way! No, no, no! He would not help Pterano do something mean!"

"Don't you remember when Pterano came to the valley the first time?" Cera replied. "He got Petrie to trick Littlefoot into telling him where the Stone of Cold Fire landed! And then he told Pterano! It's not like this is the first time he's betrayed us!"

"And it's not the first time you and Petrie have argued like this!" Littlefoot spoke up. "Look, you two are always arguing, isn't it possible that maybe you're overreacting?"

"You weren't there!" She rounded on him. "You didn't hear the things he said about my dad!"

"Yeah but-"

"No buts! If you don't believe, why don't you come and see for yourselves? Ali knows the way into the cave, let's go there and stop Pterano!"

"So which is it?" Ali asked. "Do you believe in the legend or not?"

"Of course not! What, you think I'm stupid or something?" Cera shot back. Ali scowled at this. "But Pterano caused a lot of harm when he thought the Stone of Cold Fire was real, so I just want to make sure he doesn't try anything now."

"And what exactly do you think Pterano is going to do?" Littlefoot cut in. "It's just an empty cave."

"You still think it's fake?" Ali spoke up, looking rather hurt. Littlefoot sighed.

"I...I don't know. I really don't. I still don't really know what happened with the Stone of Cold Fire. I saw it for myself, but then I saw Pterano try and use it back on Threehorn Peak. Maybe the legend is true, maybe it's not. And maybe Pterano wants to do something bad with it, or maybe he really has changed for the better now." He paused here to roll his eyes in response to Cera's snort of contempt. "But...maybe Cera's right about going into the cave. Maybe we should just go and find Pterano and Petrie and sort this all out right now. Or maybe just check out the cave for ourselves, maybe we can even figure out once and for all if the legend is real."

Each member of the group thought about this for a moment. Even though they each had their own opinions (save for Spike, who had no idea what was going on), this seemed like the best option.

"Should we tell our parents?" Ducky asked.

"No." Littlefoot replied. "Even if they did believe us, I don't think it's serious enough yet. Let's not worry them until we find something to worry about."

* * *

"This is it." Littlefoot said. The group were gathered at the river looking down into the tunnel. From what Cera had told them, it had sounded as though the tunnel through the Smoking Mountain had been blocked off somehow and that the Flyers were still digging through. Since Flyers are not best suited to swimming, it was unlikely that they might try the river, meaning the group now had a head start.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Cera asked. "Let's go!".

"Hang on!" Littlefoot replied. "We need to make sure it isn't dangerous. Ali, how exactly does this tunnel work?"

"From what my herd said, it sounds like the tunnel very quickly goes up. That's why the water doesn't drain from the river." She replied.

"How long would we be underwater for?"

"I don't know."

One by one, everybody turned their heads towards Ducky. Who puffed her chest out in pride.

"Do not worry." She chirped. "I will see how far it is, yep, yep, yep!"

With one deep breath, she dove off the bank and into the river. The others tried to watch her as she went, but she soon disappeared into the deep blue.

The minutes went by at an agonising pace. No one spoke, but they were all thinking the same thing. If it was taking too long. Swimmers by nature are capable of holding their breaths for several minutes at a time, but the same could not be said for Longnecks, Threehorns and Spiketails. But before anyone could bring themselves to voice their concerns, a figure broke through the surface of the water.

"I am back!" Ducky called, climbing out on to the bank again.

"So how is it?" Ali asked. "You were gone a long time."

There was an edge in her voice that told Ducky what everyone was worried about.

"It is alright." She said. "After I came out the other side, I just took a look up the tunnel to make sure it is big enough for all of you."

"So we won't have far to swim?"

"It should be fine."

No one was too happy with the word "should", but Littlefoot was not about to give up now. Talking to Cera and getting her to calm down about Petrie a little had made him feel a little more like his old self. And with that in mind, he decided it was time to take the lead once again. He took a moment to breathe in as deeply as possible and then jumped straight into the water.

The current was weak, so it was not difficult to reach the tunnel. Behind him, Littlefoot could hear and feel one of the others entering the water. Then another. And then one more. Ali, Cera and Spike. Ducky was far too small to be so easily detected, but she was the one he was least worried about.

Entering the tunnel, he was dismayed to see how far down it went. He began to doubt Ducky's reassurances. He couldn't help wondering if, as a Swimmer, she overestimated their ability to hold their breath for long. Or maybe she had misjudged the length of the tunnel. Or maybe she was just overly optimistic. All he knew was that more the these thoughts went through his head, the more aware of just how much his lungs were starting to crave air. He was also becoming more aware of just how narrow the tunnel was. Maybe there had been plenty of room for Ducky, but the further he went, the more he felt the walls brush against him. Whenever he stopped for a moment, he felt whoever it was immediately behind bump into him. Should he change his mind and try and turn back, he wouldn't be able to signal this to the others. He wasn't even should if he _could_ swim backwards. By this point his lungs were truly _burning_. There was a part of him beginning to panic. What if it were too far? What if the tunnel narrowed to the point where he could get stuck? He let a small pocket of air go from his mouth to trick himself into thinking he could still breathe. It wouldn't last for long. Already the burning sensation had returned. He wondered briefly if he really had just doomed them all.

Suddenly he hit a rock wall. He could not go any further forward. Then someone bumped into him from behind and he knew he could not go back. For a moment, instinct kicked in and he panicked again. He was trapped. There was no way out. He let another gasp of air go, sure that it would be his last. Until he saw the bubbles travel up. Up. Of course, hadn't Ducky said the tunnel went up after a while? This had to be the moment. He only hadn't been able to see the wall because it was so dark.

He began moving upwards, hoping the others would know to follow. His brief elation at realising the way to go had distracted him from his lungs, but only for a moment. Even though the way seemed clear, it was still too dark to see where the surface was. It was no longer just is lungs, his whole _body_ was crying out for air now. He could feel himself shaking uncontrollably. His head began to throb horribly. It was too far. There was no way he would make it out in-

All of a sudden he felt his head break the surface of the water and immediately he gasped in as much air as he possibly could. He heard a loud splash and gasping behind him and there was Ali, struggling to breathe too. Wordlessly, they moved to the edge of the pool they found themselves to give room for Cera and then Spike to surface as well. For a moment no one said anything and the cave was just filled with the sound of four dinosaurs breathing as hard as they could.

"See? I told you it was not far! I did!"

* * *

The tunnels were blazing hot. Sweat poured off them but they had to keep going. They couldn't stop now. They had come so far. They just had to go that little bit further. And then, they had finally done it. Strange in a way. After all that struggle, the final push had not taken so much effort. Almost a rather disappointing finale in a way, really. But Pterano did not care. He had moved the final rock and the way was clear.

"And now," he spoke, "destiny awaits."

He, Rax and Petrie silently made their way through the tunnel. There was nothing to say. Not now. Maybe once they had reached the cave and completed their task, but not now. Right now, Pterano was too overcome to speak. He kept his emotions to himself of course, there was no need to be..._undignified_ about the matter. But there was still a surge of emotion at the thought that his months long struggle was finally at an end. At last, he would have the power, and with it, the respect that he so richly deserved. But he still kept his emotions under control. Until he entered the Cave of the Lost Souls. And found Petrie's friends waiting for him.

* * *

Nobody spoke for a moment. For Littlefoot, Ali, Ducky and Spike, it was too heartbreaking to see Petrie standing alongside his uncle. For Petrie, it was too nerve-wracking to face his friends. And for Pterano and Cera, there was simply too much rage. So it seemed that Rax would have to be the one to speak up.

"I thought you said your nephew would keep them distracted boss."

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised." Pterano spoke at length. "They always did have a habit of making a nuisance of themselves." He sighed. "What are you doing here?"

"We wanted to talk to Petrie." Littlefoot spoke up. "Things kinda got out of hand and we just want to smooth things over."

"And to stop you from doing whatever it is you're up to!" Cera interjected.

"Not time right time Cera!" Littlefoot snapped back.

"**I don't care!"** She bellowed. **"He was supposed to be our friend and he betrayed us! If you had heard the things he said to me, you wouldn't be defending him!"**

"I'm not! I just think we need to calm down and-"

"You see Petrie?" Pterano's voice, though quiet, cut through Littlefoot and Cera's argument with ease. "Longnecks and Threehorns and every other dinosaur are so quick to believe that they know best. That they can decide what's right for you."

Pterano looked down at his nephew. Petrie seemed to be taking in what he was saying, but did not appear to quite understand.

"But..." he spoke in a voice that was timid and meek, "they my friends. They just trying to help." Pterano laughed softly.

"That is merely what they want you to believe. They don't trust you. They don't think you can decide for yourself. They always demand that you do as they say. Just as all walkers have done to Flyers since the dawn of time itself!"

"Do not listen to him Petrie!" Ducky called. "Do not! We are your friends, we are!"

"He's just trying to turn you against us to buy himself time!" Ali added.

"You can't trust him, he's lied to you before!" Littlefoot spoke.

Petrie turned all these thoughts over in his mind. They were right, weren't they? Hadn't Pterano deceived before? Made mistakes and then pretended he hadn't? But... No. No, Pterano was family. He had made mistakes, sure, but so has everyone. He had learned his lesson a long time ago, he was better now. But... Why had he not told Petrie about the lost souls sooner? Why no tell the truth immediately? Telling the truth was always the right thing to do. And his friends...his friends were good people and here Pterano was, telling him not to trust them. Why shouldn't he trust them? They were-

"**He's evil!"** Cera roared. **"He only cares about himself and he'll step over anyone to get what he wants and the sooner you learn that, the better!"**

Silence. Silence hung in the cave. And then...Petrie took a step. Towards his uncle. And another. And another. Until he was standing by his uncle's side. He turned and glared silently at Cera. It was clear now. He had made his choice.

"Well." Pterano spoke. "Beautifully argued my dear, but I believe this conversation is over. Now if you children would kindly step aside, I have matters to attend to."

As he stepped towards the wall, but soon realised the children were not moving.

"We're not letting you do this." Ali spoke.

Pterano sighed.

"Rax sort this out, will?" He asked.

Rax moved towards them, his massive wingspan forcing them backwards. Pterano searched the cave floor until he found a decent sized rock and picked it up.

"Uncle!" Petrie suddenly called out. He had concerns that he needed to get off his chest. "Why you no talk about lost souls as soon as you get back to valley? Why you lie so much? Why my friends and you not get along?"

Pterano sighed in irritation. This really was too much. He was fond of the boy naturally, but he could not keep stopping every five seconds to reassure his nephew about yet another doubt in his mind. Not right not anyway.

"Petrie, move out of the way." He said. "I have work to do."

"But me no understand why-"

"Of course you don't understand! You never understand! All you ever do is ask questions, but you don't understand and you never will until you learn your place and accept my word as the truth!"

"But..." Petrie was shocked, "But uncle..."

"**Not now!"**

He raised the rock up high above his head and prepared to bring it down against the cave wall and finally end this. But there was something in his way.

"I told you to stand aside." He said, keeping his voice as calm as possible.

"No." Petrie replied.

"What do you mean, no?" Pterano was barely keeping his anger under control. The boy dared to defy him?

"You said me friends try to control me! To tell me what to do! But now you doing the same!"

"Get out of my way!"

"**Me not moving!"**

He wasn't rough. He didn't want to hurt the boy after all, just get him out of the way. But when Petrie fell to the ground after he had pushed him, the pain in his eyes was...unsettling. Well, he would have to deal with that later. Right now, he had more important things to worry about. He raised the rock up again, held it there for a moment, then brought it crashing down against the cave wall...

TO BE CONCLUDED...


	39. A Lost Soul

**A Lost Soul**

Green Dragon

The sound of the rock smashing against the wall reverberated through the cave. Everyone, even those who did not believe in the legend, watched in horror, waiting for the worst to happen. But nothing did. At least not right away. And when something did happen, no one had expected it. The first thing everyone noticed was a strange rumbling sound. Then they saw a light coming from the tunnel the Flyers had come from.

"Boss what is that?" Rax asked, panicking. "Are you doing that?"

"I...I don't know." Pterano mumbled. "This isn't what I wanted to happen."

"Uh guys?" Ali spoke up. "I think we'd better get out of here right now!"

As she spoke, fire-water came spewing through the tunnel. Rax and Petrie were the closest. Pterano was behind them and without a moment's though, he grabbed Petrie, pulled him away and turned to follow the children who were heading back towards the water tunnel.

Rax was not so lucky. As he turned to run, he tripped on the rock Pterano had dropped after using it on the rock wall. In that moment, he was engulfed by the fire-water and did not even have time to scream.

The others ran down through the tunnel, knowing that a second's hesitation would mean death. In spite of everything, Petrie clung tight to his uncle.

"Stop doing this, please!" Ducky cried to Pterano.

"I don't know how!" He called back. "I didn't do this by choice!"

Arriving at the pool of water, Littlefoot leapt in first, followed by Ali, then Spike while carrying Ducky and then Cera. As they swam away to safety, Pterano looked at his nephew still in his hands for a moment.

"What ever happens next Petrie," he said, "I just want you to know I'm sorry."

Without waiting for a response, he dove into the water.

* * *

On the other side, Littlefoot and the others had made the length of the tunnel and surfaced in the river.

"We made it!" Ducky cheered. "We did, we did!"

"Hang on!" Ali said, looking around frantically. "Where are Pterano and Petrie?"

Everyone stared back at the tunnel. There was no sign of movement. They pulled themselves back onto the bank and watched.

"Why are they not coming?" Ducky asked.

"Oh no." Littlefoot spoke up. "I don't think they they can swim so well! Their wings are getting in the way!"

Littlefoot tensed up, preparing to jump back in and go after them, but he was stopped by a splash. Cera had beaten him to it.

* * *

Going through the tunnel a third time was no more pleasant than it had been before, but that would not stop Cera. She did not stop to question why she was doing it. She didn't stop to think about her fight with Petrie, or the things Pterano had done in the past. All she knew was that her friend and his uncle were in trouble. And she was going back for them.

* * *

Meanwhile, Pterano and Petrie had not made it far. Littlefoot had been right. Flyers just don't swim well. That was why Pterano had chosen to spend months digging through the other tunnel than risk this way. That was why Ark had died after all. But if someone were to ask him if he would rather drown or burn alive, he honestly was not sure what answer he would give. But it seemed now that he had chosen drowning. Oh he fought his way through the tunnel best he could. But every time he flapped his wings, it moved him just as far back as it moved him forwards. But honestly, he knew he was beaten. There was no hope now. Oddly, he didn't feel too badly about that. His only regret was Petrie. He had brought his nephew into this. The only one who still believed there was good in him. He wanted so much to thank Petrie for that. To tell him he was sorry for everything he had done. And maybe even to tell him how proud he was of his nephew for having the courage to stand up to him at that last moment before he had ruined everything. Of course neither could speak where they were. So instead he opted to stop swimming and just hold his nephew as tight as he could. He hoped Petrie would understand what he was trying to say.

* * *

There! She had found them! They had sunk down to the point in the tunnel where it started going up, but there was still distance left to cover. Seeing that Pterano had safe hold on Petrie, Cera took his other arm in her mouth and began swimming in the other direction. The all too familiar sensation of running out of air was creeping up on her again. The fire in her lungs burned even hotter than the fire water. But she had to keep going. As she struggled, she bit down harder. She could taste Pterano's blood mingled with the water. It was disgusting (for the life of her, she couldn't understand how Sharpteeth enjoyed that stuff), but she ignored it and kept going. All she ever needed was to just keep going.

As she cleared the tunnel, Cera felt herself being grabbed and pulled upwards. As she broke the surface and choked for air, she saw that Littlefoot, Ali and Spike were now pulling Pterano up as well, while Ducky was dragging Petrie to the riverbank. As she heaved herself onto the grass, with the rush of danger gone from her mind, she wondered what her dad would save if he ever found out that she had risked her life to save a couple of Flyers.

* * *

As Petrie came back to conciousness, he saw a strange greenish-yellow blur in front of his eyes. Blinking a few times, he realised it was in fact Ducky who, upon seeing that he was okay, almost suffocated him a second time by hugging him as fiercely as possible.

"Are you alright?" The sound of a deep voice broke him away from Ducky as he looked up to see Pterano looking down over him. He couldn't tell for sure, but Pterano somehow seemed...sad.

"Me okay." He spluttered as he staggered to his legs, Ducky supporting him. "You...you saved me!"

To his surprise, Pterano shook his head. Why would he do that? He had grabbed Petrie before the fire-water took him. He had held Petrie as he swam through the tunnel. Of _course_ he had saved him. If he hadn't, then who? To answer that, Petrie followed his uncle's gaze and saw that he was looking at Cera...

* * *

The next day, the six friends were gathered at the meeting place. During Petrie's stumbling attempts to thank Cera for her actions, they had been interrupted by the arrival of Littlefoot's Grandpa. Apparently he had come along to investigate when he had heard that the Smoking Mountain had erupted again and had been surprised to come across his grandson and friends, all soaking wet, with _Pterano_ of all people next to them. The children had attempted to spin some story about how Pterano had saved them from the mountain, but in a moment that had surprised both him and all the other adults when he told them later, Pterano stopped the children from speaking and made a confession.

It had been an odd confession to say the least, and Grandpa wasn't sure he understood it all, but Pterano seemed to claim that he had put the children in danger, caused the death of two other Flyers and even admitted that the baby Clubtail he had saved months ago had been kidnapped and placed in danger in the first place...by him.

So now Littlefoot and the others were watching Pterano's trial. To their surprise, Petrie was not speaking out in defence of his uncle this time. He still loved him of course, but perhaps now, Petrie was wise to Pterano's less admirable traits and had finally put his hero worship to rest.

The banishment was harsh, but no one could really argue that it wasn't fair. Only after the passing of ten cold times would Pterano be allowed to return to the valley. Littlefoot and the others had averted their eyes out of respect when Pterano made his goodbyes. His sister clearly wanted nothing more to do with him and her children were not particularly interested in speaking to him either. The only one who approached was Petrie.

Surprisingly enough, no words were said. Perhaps there was nothing _left_ to say. It seemed clear to Littlefoot that the relationship between the two had changed permanently. Some scars run deep and Petrie's feelings towards his uncle would never be the same again. Still, it did not stop them from sharing one last hug. It was the strangest hug he had ever seen. Somehow both happy and yet incredibly sad at the same time. Though he was not sure why, the sight of it made him miss his mother just a little more than usual.

Eventually the two parted and Pterano took to the skies. Littlefoot, Ali, Ducky and Spike all departed, feeling that Petrie would prefer to be left alone. But Cera stayed. The two looked at one another for a moment and then, perhaps deciding that they too had nothing left to say, looked up at the sky together, watching Pterano until he was gone from sight. Another relationship changed. permanently? Perhaps. But maybe not entirely for the worse. Had Littlefoot or any of the others stayed to watch the two, they all would have agreed that in spite of everything, there seemed to be a new feeling between these two. Respect.

* * *

As Littlefoot and Ali walked home, Ali had to stop and rest by a tree. The grownups had looked at her wounded leg and sadly surmised that while she could walk, it would never properly heal. While waiting for her to recover, Littlefoot noted that it seemed there was more than one scar caused by their quest. He was stirred from his thoughts when he heard a dripping sound. Ali was standing over a pool and he noticed ripples in the water. Looking closer, he realised the ripples were caused by tears. She was crying.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Ali, realising she had been noticed, sniffled loudly and coughed.

"Oh nothing." She said lightly. "Just um...y'know, these kind of flowers always make me sneeze. So annoying." She laughed a little too loudly. Littlefoot stared. She sighed. "I'm sorry, it's just that...well seeing Petrie and Pterano like that just...it made me think of my own family."

Littlefoot grimaced. Privately he was happy that Ali was back in the valley and hoped she would never leave again. But of course, how could she not miss her mother? He missed his after all.

"It's just that after what happened to my herd in the Sharptooth attack..." she continued, "I just...I don't think they're coming back this time."

Littlefoot didn't say anything. There was nothing he could say. He just leaned in and nuzzled her gently.

* * *

Time passed and the group slowly began to put their troubles behind them. Even if she couldn't run and jump as well as she once could, Ali was getting used to her leg the way it was. She could even forget about the fate of her herd now and then. Even she secretly admitted to herself that she liked sharing a nest with Littlefoot.

Cera had on occasion, attempted to awkwardly apologise to Petrie for the things she had said. Honestly this side of Cera made everyone altogether uncomfortable, but a little teasing about how she was going soft would quickly cause her to turn bright red and launch into a speech about how Threehorns _never_ go soft and everyone soon felt a lot better.

Petrie had also tried on to apologise for the way he had acted to everyone, but they all casually told him not to worry about it. Well, Cera was a little more gruff about it than the others were, but it was the thought that counted. His changed feelings towards Pterano had stuck. He still loved his uncle, no doubt about it, but he didn't really miss him anymore. He was happy to just let go. In spite of everything, the idea that he may have taught his uncle something about standing up for what one believes in had, in a strange way, given him the sense of self respect he had only previously felt when Pterano was around.

Eventually word came in from Flyers that Ali's heard had indeed survived. Many had been badly injured though, causing them to split off from the herd and stay in one place from then on. After a few months, those remaining finally came to the conclusion that they simply did not have the numbers to travel in the Mysterious Beyond safely anymore and decided to stop migrating altogether. Many went their separate ways, but Ali was overjoyed to learn that her family were choosing to come to the Great Valley to live and spent weeks eagerly awaiting their arrival. Littlefoot was happy for her but when they finally arrived, he was a little sad to lose his nest mate.

* * *

Some time after the return of Ali's herd, the six friends were playing and their games had unintentionally brought them over to the Smoking Mountain. Upon seeing it, they stopped to look, remembering their most recent adventure.

"Do you guys think it was real?" Ali asked. "Did Pterano cause the fire-water to rise by releasing the lost souls?"

"Maybe." Ducky answered. "Maybe they gave him their power, but he could not control it. He could not."

"Or maybe the legend's a huge fake and the fire-water had nothing to do it." Cera cut in, a little haughtily. No-one called her out for being rude because to be honest, _not_ taking the opportunity to blame Pterano for something was a sign of real growth for her.

"Who knows?" Littlefoot said. "Maybe it was both, maybe it was neither. I don't think we'll ever know." Everyone nodded at this and they stood silently for a while. Finally, Littlefoot clapped Spike on the shoulder. "Tag! You're it!"

He ran off, the others following him. Petrie watched them go and turned to look at the mountain one more time. Littlefoot's comment about never knowing reminded him of something Littlefoot had said the first time they had dealt with Pterano.

"_Oh Petrie. There's so much we don't know. But that's part of the fun!"_

As he chased after the others, Petrie found he had to agree.

THE END

A/N: So there it is. I just want to say I am sorry. I am so sorry it took so long (ten years! TEN YEARS!) to complete this. Looking back, I guess this actually covered a long part of my life. My final year in secondary school, all my years at college, university, various jobs, the death of my father. For a long, long time I honestly thought I would never complete this and it kind of hung over me now and then. Even if it's not the masterpiece I hoped it would be, even if it went directions I hadn't always planned for, I just want to say thank you for everyone who followed along during the journey. Everyone who reviewed and had something to say, whether it was a compliment or constructive criticism has, I think, helped me grow as a writer and maybe even grow as a person. For that, I can never thank you enough.


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